Things are not Always as They Seem
by FlowerLady-Aerith
Summary: SoraxKairi and many other pairings. People of different ages and from different places have entered a sweepstakes to go to a competition between Male and Female. The winning team gets to go on a worldwide tour and meet their favorite celebrity.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Yeah, so this is my first fan-fiction. _

_Sora: Yeah, we know but do we care? _

_Riku: He's got a point there _

_Me: Stop being mean! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I wish I did because then I would be rich but I don't so yeah! _

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**Things Are Not Always As They Seem**

Prologue

"Now boarding, flight A12."

As the announcer spoke on the intercom the butterflies in her stomach fluttered. A teenage girl sat quietly in the waiting area of an airport nervously twiddling her thumbs. Her auburn hair covered her eyes as she stared down into her lap. Her hair fell to her shoulders in the front, but was a little shorter in the back. The difference wasn't that noticeable. She was dressed in summery attire consisting of a bright pink tank top and an old pair of jean capris. The age was obvious because of the several patches stitched onto the jeans; they looked like they had been through a lot. On her feet was a pair of pink and white clogs that also had a bit of wear and tear to them. The yellow shoelaces on the shoes were unraveling and the material was slowly tearing. Near her feet was a red bag full of her belongings that she couldn't live without. She sighed quietly, but happily.

Still, she was so excited. She couldn't believe she had actually won a sweepstakes. She was so excited she had forgotten what she was supposed to do. Her flight had just been called, yet she was still glued to her chair. Her heart was pounding. Her face felt hot and she felt as if time had paused just for to wait for her anxiety. This was it! It was her moment to shine. She was sure she would probably never have another opportunity like this in her life. And to think it all started with her least favorite soda, Pepsi.

"_Come on, Kairi!" Selphie whined as she grabbed Kairi's arm and swung it around. _

"_Fine!" she exclaimed snatching her arm away from Selphie's grasp. "Here's the money, we'll both get Pepsi," Kairi replied slightly annoyed. There was a distinct frown on her face. It was a frown that said 'why am I doing this?' _

"_Yeah!" Selphie exclaimed happily jumping around the convenience store. Selphie took the money from Kairi's hand and quickly frolicked over to the freezer where the sodas were stored. Selphie then frolicked to the cashier to pay for the drinks with Kairi's money. Luckily, there was no line so Kairi would not end up further annoyed by having to wait for a soda she didn't like._

_A few moments later, Selphie rejoined her annoyed friend outside of the store. "Hey! These bottles have a sweepstakes wrapper on it, maybe we can win?" Selphie exclaimed cheerfully. _

"_Yeah, a one out of a million chance," Kairi replied doubtfully. Regardless, the two of them opened the bottles and looked at the cap anyway. Curiosity never hurt anybody._

"_I won!" They both squealed excitedly. _

She smiled because of her memory; it had only been a week since then so it was still fresh in her mind. Though, she was pretty sure that memory would be around for a while. How could she forget the moment she won a sweepstakes? She closed her eyes tightly trying to remove herself from the chair, but had no luck.

She was so nervous. Hawaii was so far away; she wasn't sure she was ready to embark on this adventure just yet. She didn't want to leave, but at the same time she did. She was confused and nervous and scared all at once. Such anxiety.

"Kairi!"

Her head jerked up displacing the bits of auburn hair. "Coming!" Kairi answered loudly earning her some stares from some bystanders. Kairi lifted her carry-on luggage from the ground and ran after Selphie who was already on her way to boarding the airplane. _'Hawaii here I come!'_

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_A/N: Okay that was the prologue. Please submit a review. That would be very nice. _


	2. Take Off

_A/N: Wow! The first chapter, isn't that amazing! _

_Riku: No, not really _

_Me: Oh, be quiet. It was sarcasm _

_Sora: Wow, you're really bad at being sarcastic _

_Me: Anyway, to the story! _

_Disclaimer: I still do not own Kingdom Hearts and still I wish I did but I don't. _

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**Things Are Not Always As They Seem**

Chapter One: Take Off

Kairi finally caught up to Selphie who was happily hopping toward the entrance of the plane. Her light brown bob of hair and bright, green backpack bounced as she did with her eccentric enthusiasm. Kairi couldn't help but laugh."This is it! I can't wait!" Selphie exclaimed happily as she hopped. They reached the entrance of the plane where the female flight attendant was waiting for them with a big smile and a hand ready to receive their tickets.

"Yeah, it'll be our first time going to Hawaii," Kairi replied as she handed the flight attendant her ticket. Selphie did the same and hopped on the plane after Kairi. "We even get to be in first class, but too bad our seats aren't next to each other."

Selphie's smile turned upside-down for a brief moment, but it quickly returned to her excited grin. "Don't worry! Maybe our seat buddies will be cute boys, I wouldn't mind that. If the plane crashes they could save us, and then we could have a double wedding and have kids and be neighbors!" Selphie squealed happily. Selphie was known to get a little carried away with her fantasies, but it added to her natural charm. Kairi cocked her head to the side as she watched Selphie squeal to herself for a minute or two. "Well! See you after the ride!" Selphie exclaimed before pulling Kairi into a tight, bear hug. She quickly let go and skipped down the aisle looking for her seat number.

Kairi's deep purple eyes saddened as she watched Selphie's retreating figure. She didn't want to be away from her best friend. She sighed stealing a glance at the sheet of paper that held her seat number. She started her own search gazing at the numbers. _'I hope I get a window seat,'_ Kairi thought as she quietly searched. "B12, B14…here it is. B15," Kairi said to herself, but she was quickly silenced. There was already another person sitting in the seat next to hers. Her seat buddy was a boy, who fortunately, hadn't noticed her arrival yet. Kairi felt fidgety and soon began twiddling her thumbs again.

He appeared to be busy doing something. She didn't want to disturb him; he seemed to be writing something important in his notebook. All she could see was the word 'list' marked at the top of the page. She opened her mouth to say something but the words didn't come; she didn't know what to do. As if to save her from her self-induced embarrassment, another boy sat up in the seat in front of theirs. He turned to face the other boy with a big, toothy grin on his face. He had extremely spiky, brown hair and the clearest ocean-blue eyes. The butterflies in Kairi's stomach excitedly fluttered around as she studied the boy's face. _'He's so cute! Why can't I sit next to him?' _she thought unable to take her eyes off of him.

"Hey Riku-Hey, who are you?" the boy asked turning to look at Kairi. Her presence appeared to perplex him. She nervously smiled.

Upon hearing the boy's voice, Kairi's seat buddy finally looked up and saw her standing in front of him awkwardly. He quickly looked her over with his piercing, aquamarine eyes. Kairi froze; she felt as though his eyes were actually piercing through her soul. "Who are you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a curious stare.

"H-Hi, I'm K-Kai-Kairi," she stammered; Riku's look intimidated her. "I'm your seat buddy," she announced before giving Riku a courteous wave. Riku nodded and said nothing more. He politely stood up and moved out of her way so she could get to her seat. He also offered to take her bag. Kairi was a little shocked by his kind gesture. He had seemed a bit rude at first so she hadn't expected his courtesy. Kairi turned to her bag and opened it pulling out another identical, but smaller bag. She handed him the larger version and sat down. Riku placed the bag in the bin above their seats and then returned to his chair.

Riku stole another glance at Kairi, giving her another quick, visual examination. He had a sly gleam in his eye that made Kairi feel slightly uncomfortable. "Riku's the name, and he's Sora," Riku suddenly announced as he pointed to the boy with the goofy expression. Had he been staring at her the whole time? Kairi felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Hello," she managed to mumble as she stared into his gorgeous eyes. Her palms were getting sweaty. Perhaps this was too much excitement for one day?

"Hello to you too," Sora replied. He gave her a wink and then turned his attention back to Riku. They continued whatever conversation they were having before she showed up. Kairi internally sighed happily. Her insides were all tingly and her butterflies were practically leaping out of her stomach. Sora was so cute.

She closed her eyes tightly and thought, _'I've gotta get my mind off of Sora. I'll look so obvious if I don't control myself! And how awkward would that be for him to discover that I think he's cute and we haven't even had a solid conversation! Get it together, Kairi! Okay, calm down. Yes, think of something else. Something other than those eyes…ah! Mmm, I can't wait till we take off, this'll be so exciting!' _She was having an internal conversation with herself with the head gestures and facial expressions included as she stared out of the plane's window. Riku was still staring at her.

* * *

Selphie was having a bit more luck meeting people. "Hi, seat buddy!" Selphie chimed as she happily stared at her seatmates. Selphie had a seat in the middle isle, which meant she would have two seat buddies, but for right now the only one there was some blonde girl. Selphie thought she looked nice enough.

The girl looked at bit frightened by Selphie's loud cheeriness. Selphie decided to just grin; she didn't want to scare her away. The strange girl smiled. "Hello, who are you?" she asked politely. She nervously moved a strand of her honey blonde hair behind her pale ear.

Selphie's grin widened. "I'm Selphie! Nice to meet you!" she exclaimed sticking out her hand for the girl to shake.

The girl happily accepted it and they shook hands. "My name is Naminé, nice to meet you too," she replied. Her fright seemed to have disappeared. Selphie guessed that Naminé just had some form of anxiety, like Kairi. Kairi had never been that great at meeting people, so Selphie could understand Naminé's possible nervousness.

"So, did you notice this is a private plane only for the ones who won the sweepstakes?" Selphie asked in an attempt to start up a conversation.

Naminé nodded looking around the plane at the many faces and bodies that inhabited it. "It looks like there will be plenty of competition for that prize trip," Naminé answered turning her attention back to Selphie who was bouncing in her seat. Naminé watched as the flipped ends of Selphie's hair bobbed up and down.

"These guys are all so cute!" Selphie squealed excitedly. Naminé smiled weakly.

"The plane will be taking off in five minutes to Alaska where there are some more children to pick up. Please buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride," the announcer stated. The intercom cut off once again leaving a loud ringing sound behind that evoked several complaints from the sweepstakes passengers.

"I'll talk to you guys after the take off," Sora said turning around in his seat. Riku, Kairi, and Sora had been talking once Kairi had calmed down from her 'meeting new people' and 'hot boy is near me' anxiety. She had found out that Sora and Riku were nice guys. The plane ride wouldn't be so bad if she got to talk to them the whole time. Kairi turned to continue her conversation with Riku, but he had returned his attention to the mysterious list he was making. Riku noticed her staring.

"Are you going to miss home?" Riku taunted without even lifting an eye off of his secret list.

"No, but I think I want to get one last look before the plane takes off," Kairi replied turning to look out the window.

"Oh."

"Thanks for understanding," Kairi quickly said. Riku grunted in response.

Kairi tore herself away from the window feeling saddened. She would miss her family and other friends, but she supposed it was time to take advantage of this opportunity rather than mope about it. She buckled her seatbelt and sat back in her chair readying herself for takeoff. She happened to glance at Riku to see if he was also ready, but he was still scribbling things down in his notebook. Out of curiosity and for the sake of conversation Kairi decided to pry. "So, whatcha writing in that notebook?" Kairi asked sweetly.

"Nothing," Riku replied bluntly. He ceased his scribbles and left the page open for Kairi to read over his shoulder. She took the opportunity and scanned the page. On the first line of the page 'Hot Girls' was written. Kairi rolled her eyes playfully. _'That's so like a guy to make a list of the hot girls on the air plane,_' she thought amusedly. She continued to scan the page. She noticed he had made a rating system, and sitting at number one was her name.

Her face reddened. The large air plane suddenly felt very small. "R-Riku?" she stuttered still looking at the list in disbelief. She had just met him, how could he think she was hot? Then again, Kairi was known to be quite the 'hottie' at her high school so it made a little sense. Still, Kairi was a bit confused. Riku had come off as being a little rude and now he was hitting on her? Was he still in elementary school mode where the boys were jerks to the girls they liked? She looked up and happened to stumble into Riku's suggestive gaze. She was stunned and a little taken by the intensity of his stare. Kairi felt goose bumps travel down her spine and tingles well up in the pit of her stomach. A smirk crept on his face; she felt the tingles intensify. He buckled his seatbelt and then slyly placed his arm around her shoulder. She looked at her feet feeling dazed. Her cheeks were still red.

The plane began to move down the lane gaining speed for the takeoff. Riku and Kairi sat in silence that only increased the 'awkward factor', as Selphie would call it. She desperately wanted Riku to remove his arm. Once the plane was in the air he would get a piece of her mind. He would regret making a move on her! Soon enough, the plane had lifted into the air ascending through the puffy, white clouds. The silence was still as awkward, and that devilish looking smirk was still pasted onto Riku's face. Kairi felt her stomach turn.

Sora unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around in his chair popping his head over the top. He blinked his eyes in confusion. He shifted gazes between a content Riku and a flustered Kairi. His head tilted to the side. "Umm," he mumbled, "Did I interrupt something?"

Kairi frowned. _'Ah! No! Sora can't see this!' _Kairi thought, her panic appeared on her face. She quickly pushed Riku away from her removing his arm in the process. She opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Sora who said, "Riku you just met her, I don't think you should be flirting like that just yet. I don't think she likes it either."

"Why are you standing up for her?" Riku asked playfully, "What do you have a crush on her or something?"

"B-Because," Sora stammered.

Kairi decided to interrupt their conversation. She'd rather not hear what Sora thought of her, at least not yet anyway. "Thank you, Sora," she said with a smile.

"Um, your welcome," Sora replied while scratching the back of his neck nervously.

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_A/N: The end of the first chapter. Hope you liked it. Next chapter I'll add more detail about how everyone looks. _


	3. Plane Ride Pt 1

_A/N: For those who reviewed, I love you forever! _

_Riku: So suppose no one reviewed _

_Me: But someone did Review _

_Sora: Just get on with it! _

_Me: Oh yeah, forgot _

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. _

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**Things Are Not Always As They Seem**

Chapter Two: Plane Ride

Hours seemed to take longer to pass than they usually did. At the front of the seating area, Selphie was discussing boys, makeup, shopping, and other miscellaneous topics with Naminé. Selphie found that Naminé didn't have much to say about any of those topics. It was mainly a one-sided conversation, which worked because Naminé was such a good listener. Toward the back of the seating area where Kairi, Riku, and Sora were, there was no talking at all. Riku had fallen asleep an hour ago and Sora had turned back around the correct way. Now Kairi was having mental conversations with herself to pass the time. She was terribly bored. It was now, out of her boredom, that she took the time to actually take in her surroundings. She had nothing else to do.

Kairi noticed that the plane mainly consisted of the colors blue and gray. The seats were blue, the carpeted floor was blue, the shades for the window were blue, and the ceiling was blue. And everything else was gray. She turned her head to her right and caught the image of Riku peacefully sleeping. She decided to study him. As she had noticed before, Riku had silver hair that fell a couple of inches past his shoulders. It looked as if it was shining in the artificial light. His hair was kind of hard to miss because of the strange color. His light, aquamarine eyes were also hard to miss, but for right now his eyelids were covering them. He looked like some sort of albino rabbit, except he was human. Riku was very pale, as well. His paleness was only emphasized by the fact he was wearing a yellow, short-sleeve shirt. _'Hm, I should buy him a blue shirt. That'd look much better. Yellow is not his color,'_ Kairi thought as she continued studying him. Her eyes glanced down to his jeans. They were a lighter shade of blue jean and had patches on both knees. She smiled and looked at her own jean capris. Perhaps they had more in common than she had originally thought. _'Well, maybe he's a little cute too,'_ she thought with another smile.

Kairi yawned and looked back outside the window as she had been doing for several hours. By now, she felt more than bored. She didn't think there was a word to properly describe how unexcited she was right now. She felt as if she would die. Kairi leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. _'Maybe my dreams will be more exciting,'_ she thought as she tried to drift off into dream land.

"Kairi?"

She opened one of her purple eyes to see Sora peeking at her through the small slit in-between the seats. Excitement suddenly struck her like lightning. Her eyes quickly opened with another smile. "Yes, Sora?" she asked happily. She was so happy he was talking to her.

"I'm bored," he whined with his lip puckered out into a pout.

Kairi giggled, but quickly quieted herself trying not to wake Riku. Sora grinned. It was then Kairi saw just how pearly white his teeth were. It was cute. "Do you want to play I spy?" she asked. She couldn't think of any other game that they could play on an airplane.

"Sure!" Sora replied excitedly.

"Okay I spy, something…green," Kairi started.

Sora turned around in his seat to search for the something green. He found it a bit difficult because the area was covered in so much blue and gray. Sora's eyes attentively scanned the area till he found someone with a green shirt. He turned back around to Kairi with a sly smirk on his face. "Is it the shirt that guy's wearing?" Sora asked. Kairi nodded. "Okay my turn! I spy something…gray," Sora announced with another smirk on his face. Pride was beaming from his eyes. She'd never find something gray on this plane, never!

Kairi now had a smirk of her own. "How about the bins above our seats?" she asked slyly.

Sora pouted. "Man, you're good at this," he whined.

Kairi smiled. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by the sound of the intercom beeping on with a loud screeching sound. "Sorry to bother you folks, but we're descending at a fast pace…WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

Instinctively everyone on the plane began screaming and panicking. Kairi could hear Selphie's high pitched wail above everybody else's screams for their mommies or God or something else that they found comforting. She thought she heard someone screaming for their teddy, now that was silly. Kairi covered her ears allowing her eyes to drift toward the window. She smirked; the plane was moving at the same pace it had for hours.

"Just kidding! We're going to be landing in Alaska very soon, we're just looking for landing site please hold still." The intercom screeched off. Kairi could hear angry grumbling and cursing around her. She and Sora laughed. It turned out throughout the chaos, Riku had continued sleeping undisturbed. Once they had regained control of their laughter they continued their game of I-Spy with Kairi spying something pink.

* * *

A blonde boy was standing in a designated area as he waited for his flight. His eyes were a shade of ocean blue and his skin was fair. He was dressed in a pair of gray, baggy pants and a long-sleeve, black shirt with a black, pleather jacket over it. Where he was going he wouldn't need the extra layer, but for right now he was still in Alaska and it was still cold. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared out of the large, glass windows to watch the planes take off and land. A couple of feet behind him his carry-on bag was lazily tossed on the ground. Three chatty girls were also there seated in the chairs behind his luggage. One of the girls had crazy blonde hair, which was up in several braids with multi-colored bands and a large, messy ponytail. Around her head she had tied an orange scarf. She had her own unique style to dressing herself in the morning. Her eyes were green that resembled a shade darker than lime green. She had dressed herself in a yellow and orange striped t-shirt with a pair of newly bought beige colored capri's. Around her waist was a brown belt full of special gadgets and miscellaneous items she felt she needed, and on her feet was a pair of plain white, tennis shoes. To keep her warm for the time being she had brought her bright, green jacket. She wasn't wearing it though.

Beside her was a girl with short, brown hair. It fell one or two inches above her collarbone. She also had her own degree of oddity. Her left eye was green and her right eye was blue. She had been that way since birth. As odd as it was, the eye colors fit her. Every year she was voted best eyes in her high school. She had a degree of femininity to her. She was dressed in a long, navy blue skirt that fell to the tops of her feet with a white peasant shirt with elbow-length sleeves. She had on a pair of ankle-high, heeled boots that she enjoyed clacking on the floor for entertainment, and to keep her warm she was wearing her pink jacket.

The last girl had her dark grey hair styled into a boy cut with her hair flipped outward. Her eyes were bright red, which was why she often intimidated others. She had a permanent blood lust appearance on her face. Not that she cared to correct those who feared her. She had more of a cool and collected approach to such things. Her clothing was completely black; black shoes, black pants, black shirt, black jacket. She wasn't one for color.

The three girls were talking amongst themselves as they waited for the same plane. They were currently discussing how they thought this sweepstakes was going to work. It was the usual excited girl talk, if there was a degree of commonness to anything about them. The blonde removed herself from the conversation and hopped out of her chair deciding to go bother the boy staring out the window. They were acquaintances. She quickly jumped in front of him blocking his view of the planes. "Aren't you excited, Roxas?" she cheered with a big smile on her face.

"I guess," was his answer. He wasn't too keen on the idea of being far away from home.

The girl pouted. "You sound so sad! Such a party pooper di doper mooper guy!" she cried shaking the boy a bit. "Snap out of it, Roxie! Sadness will send you to the grave I tell you!" she wailed loudly catching the attention of others that were in the waiting area.

Roxas's cheeks reddened. "Rikku!" he hissed quietly, "You're drawing attention to us, stop it!"

"Stop being such a chicken wuss!" Rikku cried loudly. She then began to cluck and do a chicken walk around his body while occasionally screaming the ill-favored nickname. Roxas covered his face with his hands wanting to bury his head in some snow. The brown-haired girl quickly walked over to the scene and yanked Rikku away from Roxas.

"Why don't you go tell knock-knock jokes to Paine, she's dying to hear some," the girl lied with a sweet smile. Rikku nodded eagerly and ran back to her seat.

The brown-haired girl smiled as she watched Rikku leave. "Thanks, Yuna," Roxas said giving her a smile of his own.

"No problem, don't worry too much about being away from home. The two months will pass by quickly before you even realize what happened," Yuna laughed already knowing his worries. Roxas nodded feeling more at ease and not like a chicken wuss.

"Now boarding, plane A12."

The girl called Paine stood up, eager to get away from Rikku's annoyingly humorless knock-knock jokes. "Let's go," she muttered quickly picking up her and Yuna's bags and fleeing the scene.

"Wait up, Paine! Why didn't you grab my things too!" she wailed loudly as she chased after Paine with her things already in hand.

"Rikku," Yuna mumbled with a shake of her head. "I knew she shouldn't have had that coffee this morning," she reasoned. Roxas nodded watching Rikku's hyperactivity from a safe distance.

'_She should never have coffee or anything with caffeine in it, ever,' _Roxas thought.

The group of four wasn't aware they weren't the only winners from Alaska. They were followed by Tifa Lockhart. She was a known female boxing champion around Alaska. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a large bun that was being held together by a large, clear clip. Tifa was dressed in a white t-shirt and a tiny, black skirt that was being held up by a pair of matching suspenders. Her feet were covered by a pair of brown hiking boots and her arms were covered by a black sports jacket. Following her was a short, excited girl called Yuffie Kirisagi. Her hair was ebony and styled into a bob that didn't fall past her chin. Her eyes were a bright shade of indigo. She was dressed in a black t shirt that had white swirls on the front of the shirt. Her legs were barely covered by the short, black pair of shorts she was wearing. She had forgotten her jacket, but hadn't noticed the cold because of her sugar rush.

The two boarded the plane and all the Alaskan kids started looking for their seats. Roxas found his seat a row in front of Selphie and Naminé. He shoved his belongings in the bin above his chair and took his seat. He didn't bother to try and make friends. All he wanted to do was take a nice, long nap.

Rikku skipped around and found her seat, which was located directly behind Roxas and beside Selphie. "Hi, seat buddy!" Selphie and Rikku chimed in unison. This would be the start of a new, beautiful, and loud friendship. The two girls squealed again in such a high frequency that both Roxas and Naminé jumped at the sound. Rikku quickly put her things away and sat down in her seat so she could chat with her new friend.

Behind Rikku, Selphie, and Naminé, Yuna and Paine found their seats. They were sitting next to Tifa who was already ready to go. Out of Yuna's common courtesy and manners she decided she would greet the girl. She held out her hand and said, "Nice to meet you my name is Yuna and my friend other there is Paine." Tifa smirked in response. She flashed her nametag at Yuna not bothering to answer with actual words. "Well then, nice to meet you," Yuna replied turning away feeling a bit awkward.

Yuffie had wandered toward the back of the plane still looking for her seat. She found her number and happened to stop in front of Sora's row. Sora was still turned around chatting away with Kairi. Yuffie tapped his shoulder getting his attention. Sora quickly spun around in his chair hitting his head on the bin above his head. He hadn't been expecting a seat buddy. "Oh," he mumbled as he rubbed his head. He quickly moved into the aisle so Yuffie could take her seat.

"Thank you," Yuffie said happily as she put her stuff away and sat down next to the window. Sora sat back down and turned around to continue his conversation with Kairi.

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_A/N: Okay, that was chapter two. Looks the plane ride is taking too long for Kairi. Wouldn't you be excited going on a sweepstakes trip too!_

_Okay please review. _

_Click on the purple button! You know you want to. _


	4. Plane Ride Pt 2

_A/N: Last chapter was probably a little boring seeing as nothing exciting happened. Don't worry they're on the way to their destination now! _

_Riku: Why did I have to sleep the entire time? _

_Sora: I was entertained, but I still can't find that darn red thing. _

_Riku: It's your shorts, idiot _

_Sora: My shorts are black…colorblind! _

_Me: Anyways… _

_Disclaimer: I still do not own Kingdom Hearts. _

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**Things Are Not Always As They Seem**

Chapter Three: The Plane Ride Pt. 2

"Kairi, let's continue our game now!" Sora whined staring at Kairi through the crack in the seat. She smiled and began to search the area for a new color to have Sora search for.

Yuffie, who had been unable to not eavesdrop, overheard their conversation. Her face instantly lit up at the sound of a familiar name. "Kairi? Kairi!" Yuffie screamed happily jumping out of her seat and spinning around to face Kairi. "Kairi!" she exclaimed again with a big grin on her face.

Kairi looked up at Yuffie. _'Do I know her?' _Kairi thought as she studied the girl who, for some reason, knew her name. She narrowed her eyes for a moment then smiled happily finally recognizing her. "Yuffie!" she cried jumping from her seat as well. Both girls squealed loudly and hugged each other. The sounds of the squeals forced Riku out of his sleep. He stared at the two girls confused at what was happening. Had he missed something while he was asleep?

"What's going on?" Sora and Riku asked in unison. The two boys watched intently trying to find the answers to their questions.

Yuffie and Kairi giggled releasing each other from their long hug. "Here let me explain, it's quite simple actually, you see this is my friend, Yuffie!" Kairi announced happily. A grin was clear on her face.

"I had to move to Alaska when we were seven and now-OH MY GOSH I can't believe we're here together! So where's Selphie, she didn't win?" Yuffie's asked curiously. Her question was soon answered by a high-pitched squeal coming from the front of the seating area.

"Yuffie!"

"Selphie!" Yuffied cried happily.

Selphie quickly leaped over a sleeping Rikku as Yuffie struggled to get past Sora. The two girls ran to each other and embraced while jumping around in a circle. Kairi's big smile was still on her face as she watched the excited reunion. After a few minutes of hugging and squealing excitedly, the two girls released each other.

Yuffie took a step back in the aisle and began to examine Selphie. "Hmm, yellow strapped shirt with khaki skirt and brown sandals," Yuffie said rubbing her chin quizzically.

Selphie also took a step back and gave Yuffie the same examination. "Black shirt, black shorts, and a pair of black boots, hmm," Selphie stated with a scratch of her head as she processed this information.

"Perfect!" They both screamed embracing again. Kairi gently stepped over Riku and approached the hugging girls, who quickly pulled her into the embrace. It was a happy reunion full of giggles and smiles.

'_I think they were sniffing crack before they got on this plane,'_ Riku thought as he watched the three strange, strange girls. He had never seen such enthusiasm from girls about their own friendship. He thought girls only screamed for boys, and that was it.

'_I love it when she squeals, I-I mean! Never mind but it's nice to see a happy reunion,' _Sora thought with a big grin of his own.

Kairi, Yuffie, and Selphie's hug soon ended as there was more to do than just hug. They all had quite a bit of catching up to do. "OH MY GOSH! I can't believe you're actually here!" Yuffie exclaimed as she happily stared at her two old, best friends.

"Didn't I tell you before how _lucky _I am?" Selphie answered pompously. She flipped her hair narcissistically. Selphie was a bit high maintenance.

"This is pure luck that we're all together!" Kairi cheered with a clap of her hands.

"Definitely!" Yuffie agreed. As the girls chattered among themselves they were unaware that the plane had started moving down the run way to take off. During their conversation they began to feel the bumps of the ground and shaking of the air plane. The three girls yelped as they tumbled to the ground at the force of the air plane. It lifted into the air and slowly, one by one they began to slide down the aisle screaming as they did. The three girls remained on the ground holding onto anything they could till the plane had stabilized itself in the air. It was then they exchanged laughs and stood up to brush off their clothes from the accident.

"We are now officially heading to our destination! HAWAII!" the voice on the intercom yelled causing the plane full of teenagers to cheer and holler excitedly. "Before our landing we will be explaining to you the rules and procedures of your stay!" The intercom cut off with another loud screech and the adventure to Hawaii finally begun. Surprisingly, no one complained about the screech this time.

Hours passed by that were full of silence and boredom. Yuffie and the majority of the plane had fallen asleep with thoughts of Hawaii on their minds. Even Selphie, the overly hyper girl who had been screaming and chatting the majority of the ride was passed out in her chair with drool dripping down her chin. Now Kairi, on the other hand, was still full of energy and overly excited for Hawaii. She didn't feel sleepy at all. The auburn haired girl looked down at her bag that was sitting on the ground. She decided she would listen to her music to pass the time since it would be a very long plane ride. Kairi lifted her red bag from the ground and began to dig through it searching for her music player. Her rummaging awakened Sora who noticed the drool that had spread across his face. He quickly wiped it and turned around to see what the noise was.

Kairi pulled out her music player along with a pair of headphones. She placed the headphones on her head and smiled as she flipped through her songs. She stopped on a song by one of her favorite artists, Utada Hikaru, and began to listen. Sora was about to speak, but he was interrupted by the angelic sound of Kairi's singing voice. Sora smiled as he listened to her sweet melody, though he didn't understand a word she was singing. Sora didn't understand Japanese. Once the song was finished Sora gave Kairi a quiet applause. He had enjoyed the mini performance she hadn't known she was giving. Kairi quickly looked up to see Sora staring at her from the top of his seat. He had his head leaning on his right hand. Her face reddened. _'Oh my gosh, he was listening the entire time!'_ Kairi thought feeling extremely embarrassed.

"You were good Kairi don't be ashamed, you can really sing," Sora assured with one of his cheesy grins.

"Um thanks, but next time it would be nice if you told me you were listening," Kairi replied staring at her shoes still full of embarrassment.

Sora laughed quietly trying not to wake the others sleeping on the plane. "Maybe sometime you could sing a song for me. That'd be great," Sora suggested eagerly.

"Maybe one day," Kairi laughed. She was pretty sure she'd never get the courage to do that though. Kairi was very timid about her singing voice, which was why she was singing quietly while everyone near her was asleep. Or at least she had thought they were asleep.

"We are landing people! Wake up, Sunshines!" the voice on the intercom shouted. The sleeping teenagers on the plane slowly began to wake up out of their slumber. It may have been an exciting sweepstakes trip, but they were still lethargic teenagers. "Now, would you all turn your attention to the screen that is front of all of you _lucky_ teens." On the back of every seat there was a small television screen that had turned on. On the screens a man with short-trimmed, blonde hair and sky blue eyes appeared. There was a pencil behind his ear and a cigarette in his mouth. The strange man was wearing a white polo shirt and a pair of jeans. That was all that was shown on the screen. Behind him was the Hawaiian beach that several teenagers so desperately wanted to be on. The camera that was taping the man had a great view of the gentle ocean waves and the smooth looking, white sand.

"Okay you little rascals, welcome to Hawaii," the man said, "My name is Cid and I am the sponsor of this entire sweepstakes!" Everyone cheered as if the man could hear them. Selphie and Rikku's voices were heard above all of the other cheers. Their squeals were nearly deadly. Naminé covered her ears trying to block out the sounds that could potentially cause her to become deaf later in life.

"Okay, we will be staying in the state capital of Hawaii which is the ever so beautiful Honolulu, there we have built a special hotel just for this event!" Cid explained, "Now once we land there will be a bus driving you to this wonderful hotel. Once we get there I will explain the procedures and rules, but now it's time for you to meet the captains!" There were no cheers for this statement since nobody knew the reason or purpose of having captains. Instead, the teenagers were glued to the screens watching in anticipation and waiting for some sort of explanation.

Six different colored squares appeared on the far right side of the screen, which was on the opposite side of where Cid was standing. "Okay! Please give a big cheer for Aerith!" he announced. In the pink square that was at the very top of the screen a face of a woman appeared. She had light brown hair that appeared to be tied into a braid. No one could tell for sure because the image provided in the square was only a headshot. Her eyes were emerald, but they had a softer gleam to them unlike Selphie's. Her bangs hung on either side of her face out of her eyes and slightly curled.

"Hello everyone, I am the captain of Group One. I look forward to seeing you all on the island," she said smiling. Everyone gave her a courtesy cheer.

Someone shouted, "She's cute!"

"Now give it up for, Beatrix!"

In the red square which was right underneath the pink one, the face of another woman appeared. She had dark brown hair that seemed to shine in her picture. Her eyes were a honey shade of hazel. "Hi guys I am the captain of Group Two! I am hoping to see most of you in my group!" she exclaimed excitedly. Beatrix also received a courtesy cheer.

Someone shouted, "She's smokin'!"

"Now cheer for Quistis!"

In the light blue square that was next in the sequence, another woman's face appeared. She had blonde hair that was pulled back into a very tight looking bun that was held up by two black chopsticks. Her blue eyes were covered by gray framed glasses. Her lips were a lipstick shade of red. "Hello adolescents, I am captain of Group Three, welcome to the island." Quistis didn't receive much of a cheer; she had used too many big words and fancy language.

Someone shouted, "She's…boring…"

Another person shouted, "Are you seriously gonna add your own comments for everyone?"

"Now give it up for my man, Zell!"

In the green square a man's face appeared. The boys on the plane let out a sigh of relief. The man had gelled up blonde hair. His hair looked like a corn stalk's leaves. On his left cheek there was a black tattoo, which most of the girls thought was cool. Selphie nearly swooned at the sight of his deep, gray eyes. "Hey fellas! What up! I'm captain of Group One for the boys!" The boys cheered, but the girls (especially Selphie) pouted at their loss.

"Now give a cheer for the ever so silent, Leon!"

In the gray square another man's face appeared. His hair was dark brown and he also had gray eyes that made Selphie nearly swoon. This man's gray eyes had a certain chilling intensity to them that Selphie simply couldn't resist. "Hello, I'm captain of Group Two for the boys; I look forward to meeting you all." It sounded more like a lie so nobody cheered.

"Last but not least, our very own, Cloud!"

In the dark blue square a spiky blonde-haired man appeared. Kairi thought his hair reminded her of Sora's. Now she could picture what Sora looked like as a blonde, it wasn't very attractive. He had light blue eyes that gave off a dark stare. He did not look enthusiastic or even happy to participate in the sweepstakes. "I'm captain of Group Three for the boys." Once again the plane was silent.

"Okay, now since we are officially landed you may leave the plane!" Cid announced disappearing from all of the screens. Kairi glanced out of her window and saw that it was so. She was finally in Hawaii. She felt a grin creep onto her face. The excitement was pouring out of her pores. Kairi unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up following Riku out of their seating row. Riku reached up and unhooked the latch to the gray bin and handed her, her belongings.

"Here you go," Riku said as he happily handed her the bag. Kairi gratefully took them and whispered a small 'thank you' before joining Selphie, Yuffie, and some other blonde girl she hadn't met before.

"Hey guys," she greeted joining their little circle.

"Great now we're all here! I'd like to introduce Naminé!" Selphie said happily. Naminé waved shyly feeling a little embarrassed by Selphie's introduction.

"Nice to meet you!" Yuffie screamed giving Naminé a hug.

"Hello," Kairi said shaking hands with Naminé who was still struggling to get Yuffie off of her. Her embarrassment had quickly transformed into awkwardness.

"Kairi!"

Kairi turned around to see Sora and Riku. "Oh, hey," she greeted waving toward them though they were not far away.

"Would you girls want to walk with us down to the lobby airport?" Riku asked.

"Sure!" Selphie exclaimed lifting her bags from the floor. "Let's go!" she cried running down the aisle and toward the exit of the plane.

"Great," Sora chimed though there was no need for it. The group had already started leaving. He shrugged and followed Kairi.

Naminé slowly began to follow the group still feeling out of place. She didn't warm up to people easily. As she began to make her way off of the plane she happened to walk pass Roxas whom was having trouble unlatching his bin. She stopped and turned around. She couldn't just leave him there to struggle by himself. "Let me help you," she said softly reaching and easily unlocking the latch.

Roxas blushed. He felt his manly pride drop a little. He hadn't expected to be helped by a girl. _'Well, though I'm kind of embarrassed I guess I can thank her for being so nice. I might have never have gotten that latch undone,' _Roxas thought deciding to let go of his pride. "Thanks, I'm Roxas," he said sticking out his hand for her to shake.

"Naminé," she replied giving his hand a gentle, light shake.

Roxas smiled at her. He found his eyes wandering. Naminé had shoulder-length, honey blonde hair that curled at the ends. She also had the clearest blue eyes and a cute smile that made him feel a bit weak at the knees. Her skin was extremely fair; it could even be described as pale. This paleness was exaggerated by the plain, white sundress she was wearing. Despite how it made her look like a ghost, Roxas thought it was a good color for her. It matched her innocence. _'She's pretty cute. But I guess she'd rather go and catch up with her friends,' _Roxas thought. He quickly grabbed his belongings and turned to walk toward the exit. "Hey, let's go catch up with your friends, I wouldn't mind the company," Roxas said leading her to the exit.

"Okay," she whispered following him out the plane.

* * *

_A/N: That's the end for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it was more interesting than the last update, this one has more dialogue!_

_Please R&R I will love you forever! And get back to you because that's what I do! _


	5. Bus Ride

_A/N: They have arrived! Isn't that the greatest news you could ever hear? _

_Kairi: Yeah, because I was getting kind of bored on that plane. _

_Yuffie: I slept the entire time! Oh boy, am I energized! _

_Me: I don't know if that's good or bad. _

_Selphie: Good, of course, we can both have Pixie Sticks! _

_Me: Oh dear… _

_Disclaimer: I still unfortunately do not own Kingdom Hearts or come even close _

* * *

Chapter Four: Bus Ride

The airport was of normal measurements. It wasn't extremely large or extremely small. With Cid's leadership the airport was mastered just fine. It was assumed he had been here before when he was getting his sweepstakes ready. He left his teenagers at the Baggage Claim, which only had one conveyor belt for all the flights that came here. Surprisingly, no one else was around. Instead of finding that alarming, the kids just counted their blessings and waited for their luggage. A group of three was standing in the front of the large group searching for their belongings. One boy of the mentioned trio was actively checking every single bag that passed by his eyes, even if he hadn't recognized it to belong to himself or either of his friends. He had a bad boy type of appearance. His blondish-brownish hair was gelled back, out of his face, and spiked at the tips at the back of his head. His gray eyes had a mean look to them and this was only emphasized by his gigantic, bushy eyebrows that appeared knitted together in frustration as he searched. He was dressed in a pair of camouflage pants and a brown muscle shirt looking like a soldier in the army. All he was missing was a pair of dog tags and a pair of black boots, but instead he wore white, worn sneakers. He growled in frustration as he began to turn over bags looking for that small label.

The other two of the trio stood a few feet away from him watching amusedly as their friend's anger rose from doing something so trivial. One of the companions happened to be a girl. She was completely different from the frustrated boy in the way that she held herself. She seemed more sophisticated and gentle. Her chocolate brown hair was tied into two pony tails that were resting on her shoulders. Her green eyes had a soft glow mixed with her own excitement and entertainment as she carefully watched her friend. She was dressed in an orange tank top and a pair of beige pants. She was also wearing a pair of white sneakers. The last companion was a bit of a chubby boy for his age. His black hair was gelled up looking similar to the top of a palm tree. Around his head was a red and white striped sweatband; he had similar bands around his wrists as well. His small blue eyes were practically hidden by his chubby cheeks that were matched by the double chin that was already developing. He wore a white t-shirt underneath the red and white jersey. His pants were gray and wide at the waistband. It could be assumed underneath the jersey he had a rather round belly. He looked a bit like a big teddy bear. On his feet he had the same pair of white sneakers.

"Hayner!" the girl called, "how long do you think it will take?" She anxiously stared at the conveyor belt waiting to see her orange suitcase.

"A while," Hayner grunted. "Why don't you and Pence go take a seat, Olette? I can handle this," he suggested pointing to the seating area not too far away from the conveyor belt. Olette looked at Pence with begging eyes. He nodded and the two left Hayner to go take a seat leaving the job to him.

On the other side of the Baggage Claim, the large group of Kairi and her friends and new acquaintances were also searching for their luggage. Riku was leading the operation. He didn't feel like standing around all day looking for a couple of bags so he was givng orders and directions to make this run smoothly. "Selphie, why don't you go check the other side just in case we miss any," Riku instructed. Selphie linked arms with Yuffie and together the two skipped over to the other side humming as they did.

"They're so weird," Riku mumbled to himself.

"That's just how they are," Kairi giggled hearing Riku's mumble. She spotted her brown suitcase and quickly lifted it from the conveyor belt. She smiled at Riku before carrying her suitcase away to go find somewhere to sit down and wait for the others. Riku watched her retreating figure for a couple of seconds before returning to his job; there was a smirk on his face.

"Hey Riku, does this orange suitcase belong to any of us?" Sora asked staring at the bright orange suitcase that he had lifted from the conveyor belt. He thought maybe it had belonged to Selphie since she liked bright colors. Riku shook his head in response. Sora shrugged deciding to check the name tag just in case. "Is there an Olette here?" Sora called looking around the area.

Olette's head shot up. "I'm over here!" she shouted spotting Sora standing a distance away with her orange suitcase in hand. She quickly approached him with a smile on her face. "Thank you," she said, happy that someone had finally found her suitcase. He handed Olette her suitcase and then began searching for more suitcases.

Hayner grumbled under his breath muttering about how that kid was a show off and many other curses that were running through his mind. Pence approached the cursing Hayner from behind and gave him a pat on the back. Hayner scowled and rolled his eyes. Together he and Pence walked over to where Olette was standing with her newly found suitcase. They found Olette was already making new friends with the other girls; she was in the middle of a conversation with Kairi about the sweepstakes. Pence spotted his suitcase and went to go get it, but Hayner stepped in front of him and yanked it off of the conveyor belt along with his own. Hayner growled and threw Pence's suitcase at him. He growled again deciding to stare at the one who had made him look like a fool.

"Hey, you!" Hayner shouted as he angrily walked toward Sora.

"Hey? Do I know you?" Sora questioned fearfully. He didn't like the way Hayner was looking at him. He took a step back.

Hayner grabbed Sora's head forcing him to look in Olette's direction. Sora whined in pain. "See that girl over there that you just returned a suitcase to?" Hayner asked angrily. Sora nodded. "Leave her alone," he warned.

"But I was only returning her suitcase," Sora stated fearfully. Hayner released his head and pushed Sora away from him.

"Don't play smart with me! Just leave Olette alone," Hayner warned again with a glare.

"All right," Sora agreed deciding it was better not to anger the scary guy further.

"Right I'm watching you…what's your name?"

"Sora."

"Hayner."

Hayner scoffed. _'Was silly of me to get angry over some loser,' _he thought with a smirk. He shrugged and turned away deciding to go join Olette and the large group of friends she had managed to acquire. Sora remained in the same place Hayner had pushed him into wondering why that had just happened. That would be the last time he ever did something nice for a random stranger.

Riku snickered watching Sora; he had witnessed the whole event. "Don't worry he just likes Olette that's all," Riku assured patting Sora on the back. Sora nodded still feeling a little scared.

Once the group of teens had collected their luggage and miscellaneous items they may have bought at the gift shop, they began to board the bus Cid had instructed to park at the entrance of the airport. Kairi was walking toward the bus filled with anticipation and accompanied by many new acquaintances, including Olette. She had done quite a bit of mingling inside of the airport and found that she had things in common with many of the girls. She thought this would be a nice way to spend two months if she was already befriending the majority of her competition. Surely this way it'll seem more like a game now.

"Kairi!"

Kairi looked over her shoulder to see Sora running toward her. "Sora? What's up?" she asked turning around completely to greet him.

Sora stopped in front of her and took in a deep breath rather dramatically. Kairi found it entertaining to watch as he opened his mouth widely toward the sky to suck in air. It was interesting. Once he was done he grinned at her. "I was wondering if you'd like to sit by me on the bus," he asked shyly. His cheeks were the lightest shade of pink, so light that Kairi didn't notice.

"Sure," she replied with a smile.

"Great!" Sora threw his fist into the air happily. He linked his arm with Kairi's and together they began walking toward the bus again.

Selphie's ear twitched. She spun around on her heels robotically and pointed her finger at Kairi and Sora who were behind her. "Kairi! Who's that cute boy that your with!" she asked in a high-pitched squeal. As if on cue; Olette, Naminé, and Yuffie also turned to see what was going on. Yuffie already knew who Sora was so she decided to keep walking figuring that Kairi didn't need any more trouble.

Kairi sighed embarrassed by her friend. She held her forehead in her hands trying to bury her face into her palm. "Guys, this is Sora, we met on the plane," she explained.

"Love at first sight!" Selphie teased with a goofy look on her face.

"We're not in love," Kairi tried to explained as she followed Selphie onto the bus. Sora was closely behind her. He didn't want to be separated and end up being attacked by teasing girls. Kairi and Sora took a seat near the middle of the bus trying to get away from Selphie. Yuffie was already sitting in the seat behind the mistaken for couple so Selphie quickly jumped in the seat next to Yuffie. Riku claimed the seat in front of Sora and Kairi. Naminé decided to sit across from Selphie and Yuffie; she didn't want to stray too far away from familiar faces. This was her way of preventing stranger danger; she was kind of paranoid. Olette and Hayner sat at the very front of the bus with Pence beside them. Hayner wanted to be as far away from Sora as possible. He was still angry about the luggage incident.

Cid was the last to step onto the bus. "Hello!" he shouted into his cordless microphone. Everyone cheered in response. "Aren't you guys a lively bunch even after the long plane ride. Okay guys, this bus ride will last a good two hours so I suggest you make yourselves comfortable, okay? I placed our hotel in the most remote place possible so we will be…undisturbed! So get some rest and enjoy the ride!" Cid announced. Once his cheers were done he took a seat and the teens began to chat among themselves. No one seemed alarmed by the fact their hotel would be in a remote area away from civilization.

Tifa groaned slouching in her seat. She shifted her eyes to the left eyeing Yuna, Rikku, and Paine; they were sharing a seat. She groaned again. How was it possible for three girls to be so loud? "This is going to be a long ride," she muttered feeling the bus start to pull away from the curb.

The long bus ride had begun. It was going to be another long and boring trip. Fortunate for some, they found ways to entertain themselves. Selphie chatted with a boy in the seat behind her, while Yuffie kept an eye on Sora and Kairi. Selphie had instructed her to catch every minute of the beginning of their love. Roxas and Naminé had fallen asleep on each other by accident. Olette, Hayner, and Pence were playing go fish; Pence was winning. Sora and Kairi were listening to Kairi's music player quietly. Tifa was asleep all the way in the back still slouching in her chair. Yuna was reading the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Rikku was happily munching on cookies while flipping through a J-Teen Magazine. Paine was shooting killer glares at some silver haired oath in front of her. Riku was asleep, again.

Selphie smiled at her new friend. "So, your name's Tidus? I'm Selphie!" she exclaimed excitedly and loudly. She seemed to have no regard for anyone else on the bus. She spoke as if Tidus were thirty feet away from her.

"Nice to meet you," Tidus replied giving her a small smile of his own.

"Hey, got a girlfriend?" Selphie asked curiously and randomly.

"No, why?"

"Oh, just wondering a nice boy like you should have one," Selphie replied slyly.

"No, I don't think I'm ready for a relationship yet," Tidus added. He was still a bit shocked that Selphie had asked him if he had a girlfriend. He thought that was quite a personal question to ask an acquaintance. He was a little freaked out.

"Don't worry that lucky girl will come," Selphie assured with another smile.

"Yeah," Tidus mumbled. He stared at her. _'What a strange girl, but I guess that kind of adds to her excitable charm? I don't know,' _he thought.

Kairi and Sora were bobbing their heads along with the music. "I love this song!" Kairi exclaimed happily.

"Yeah this is a good song," Sora agreed grinning as he watched Kairi bob her head up and down. She began to sway in her seat and tap her feet to the music losing herself for a moment. Sora watched her seat dance. _'She's really cute,' _he thought as he fought temptation to join her. He decided against it not wanting to ruin her dance. He wasn't a good dancer, and he didn't want to embarrass her. Kairi stopped finally realizing what she was doing. Her cheeks reddened and she looked away trying to hide her face. Sora laughed. He took the headphone out of his ear and handed it back to her.

Kairi did the same and put away her music player. "So, what do you want to do now?" she asked trying to forget about her embarrassing dancing.

Sora shrugged; he leaned back in his chair and put his hands in his lap. "What do you want to do?" he asked, "I don't have any ideas." He turned in his seat to face Yuffie who was still watching the pair very closely. "Hey, how about you? What do you want to do?" he asked including Yuffie in the conversation.

"Me? Oh, I'm not sure. We could just talk," Yuffie suggested scratching her head. She hadn't expected to be included in the conversation. She was only supposed to watch. Kairi smiled and nodded. She also turned around in her seat to face her ebony haired friend.

"So how's school in Alaska you never got to telling me," Kairi asked, "I want to know all about it."

"Oh, well it's pretty much the same, well except new friends and colder temperatures," Yuffie explained with a small laugh.

"Oh, so what are your friend's names?" Sora asked.

Yuffie pointed to Roxas. "Well he's my friend. His name is Roxas, he's pretty cool. We don't hang out much. Tifa's my other friend; we hang out nearly all the time. And then there are some others in Alaska, but you probably won't meet them so I'll just leave them out," Yuffie explained. She looked across the bus aisle to see Roxas still resting on Naminé's head peacefully. "It's nice to see Roxas moving on to other girls. He just had a lousy breakup a month ago and has been really down in the dumps."

"Roxas? Roxas!" Sora exclaimed happily, "So that's where he moved too!"

"What are you talking about?" Kairi and Yuffie inquired in unison.

"Roxas and I are related you see that's my uncle's son!" Sora chimed grinning again, "We used to be neighbors but then my uncle got some job somewhere and they had to move when we were younger."

"Oh, well, it's nice to have family near," Kairi replied with a yawn. She stretched her arms into the air before letting out another yawn.

"Someone's tired," Yuffie teased with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I didn't sleep on the plane and there is jetlag and everything, so I guess I am tired. It's pretty dark outside too," Kairi mumbled, "Perfect sleeping conditions."

"Well, I'll let you two sleep, I'm pretty tired myself," Yuffie said letting out a loud yawn that made Selphie jump up in her seat. "Good night," Yuffie whispered before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Kairi waved goodnight to Selphie and then turned back around in her seat.

Kairi adjusted her body so that she was comfortable. She turned to face Sora. She smiled. His tanned skin shined in the dim street lights outside of the bus. His ocean blue eyes were glowing. "Goodnight Sora, wake me up when we get to the hotel if you stay awake," Kairi whispered. She turned her head to face the window and closed her eyes. Sora's gaze on Kairi lingered. He watched her peacefully fall asleep. He let out a happy sigh.

An hour passed since Kairi had went to sleep and Sora was slowly nodding off. He was trying to fight it, but he couldn't resist anymore. The bus made a sharp turn making Kairi fall over she was now resting her head on Sora's shoulder. He was too sleepy to tell and hugged the nearest thing and fell fast asleep. That nearest thing just happened to be Kairi.

'_I hope she…'_

* * *

_A/N: That's the end of the chapter. I wonder what Sora was thinking about. Looks like they'll finally get to see that hotel made especially for them soon, maybe next chapter. Please R&R. _


	6. The Hotel

_A/N: Chapter Five, yahoo! _

_Sora: You're crazy _

_Me: Nuh-uh _

_Kairi: I'm going back to sleep_

_Yuffie: Mommy, I want to ride the pony! _

_Me: Anyway _

_Disclaimer: I still do not own Kingdom Hearts _

* * *

Chapter Five: The Hotel

"Good night, Tidus," Selphie said before turning away from the sleeping boy. She yawned looking to the front of the bus. Then she noticed Sora and Kairi. They were leaning on each other as they slept. She grinned before falling victim to slumber.

Everyone on the bus was now sleeping soundly. It was a nice silence. Except for the snores coming from Rikku who also had drool coming down the side of his mouth. It was so silent the wheels could be heard rolling on the street.

"WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTIES, WE'RE HERE!" Cid shouted into the microphone making everyone abruptly wake up. "Gather your stuff, we're here!" Everyone was still too tired to cheer so they just gathered their stuff and made their way off of the bus.

Roxas blushed still reminiscing where he woke up, on Naminé's shoulder. The blonde girl didn't seem to mind. She was busily picking up her bags so she could catch up with her friends. Roxas didn't notice the mild blush that was on her face.

"See you around, Roxas," she said before turning away and walking towards the exit where the others were stepping off.

"You too," he whispered gathering his things and doing the same.

The teens left the bus following Cid into the hotel. The outside already said one word 'amazing'. It was made out of white brick with some occasional wood here and there. The windows were gorgeous; some beautiful scene was carved into every one. They almost resembled crystal. Also the surrounding, it was by the ocean.

Everyone huddled inside now wide-awake. "Okay, this is how we're going to team you up everyone gather those information sheets over there and I'll continue," Cid instructed pointing to white paper sheets stacked on a furnished wooden table.

As soon as everyone had a paper Cid began talking. "Okay, do you guys remember the leaders? Well they are color-coded. The paper tells you which color belongs to whom. Now since each person gets his or her own room we have put a small color marker on your door. This will tell you which team you are on and who's your captain. Boys go to your right and Girls to your left. Tomorrow is a dance at seven o'clock don't forget!"

With that said, everyone started to file out the meeting area and into the hallways. Sora grinned waving goodbye to Kairi before walking into his hallway. Kairi smiled going to the opposite way to hers.

"You do like him!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"No I don't, he's just a friend."

"Well it's obvious he thinks you're cute," Selphie stated walking up to a door with a pink marker on it. On top of the door it had her name written in golden letters. "By guys see you tomorrow!" With that she closed the door.

Yuffie found her room two doors down from Selphie's. "Bye Kairi." Now Kairi was alone looking for her room. She saw Naminé open her door.

"Naminé!"

"Oh, hello Kairi your room is next to mine."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

She shut the door and Kairi opened hers amazed at what she saw. In the middle of her new room was a queen-sized bed with a pink comforter and peach pillowcases. Peach curtains were hung in front of the balcony door and pink ones in front of the windows. A television was in front of her bed it was silver and had speakers next to it. A loveseat couch was in the corner by a small oak coffee table. Kairi opened the door that lead to her bathroom and was amazed all over again. The sink was made of white marble and had silver faucets. The floor was marble and the bathtub was pure white, same for the toilet. It already had peach towels and a shower curtain inside.

Kairi yawned too tired to bother looking at anything else. She changed into her nightgown. It was a white-strapped dress that fell to her knees. She braided her hair and got into her comforter quickly falling asleep. She hadn't noticed the pink marker on her door.

* * *

The next day was just as sweet. Yuffie, Selphie, Olette, and Naminé crept into Kairi's room while she was asleep. Kairi had neglected to lock the door. Selphie jumped on Kairi while screaming, "WAKE UP!"

Kairi screamed falling out of her bed. Everyone laughed embarrassing poor Kairi. She hadn't noticed they brought the boys with them. Roxas, Riku, Tidus, and Sora were all laughing along with the girls. Kairi stood up her face red. "Selphie!" she whined making Selphie laugh harder.

Sora and Tidus were soon rolling on the floor still laughing. Now standing in Kairi's doorway was Tifa. "Can you keep it down!" she scolded glaring at Kairi.

"Sorry," Kairi mumbled looking at her feet.

"Say it more respectfully next time loser," Tifa said walking back to her room. Sora jumped up leaning out the doorway. He opened his mouth to speak his mind, but Riku stopped him.

"Sora no, we shouldn't be starting fights, it is the first day," Riku advised putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We can beat her up together tomorrow," he added with a smirk.

Yuffie laughed. "Aren't you the _role model_? Don't worry I'm sure Tifa didn't mean it she's always like that," Yuffie explained smiling at Kairi. "So hurry up and get dressed, we'll meet you outside in the hallway!"

Kairi nodded pushing them out of her room. She closed the door and started to rummage through her suitcase. "What to wear," she muttered finally pulling out a pink halter top with a long jean skirt. She quickly put them on while hobbling to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her hair while brushing her teeth and attempting to wash her face.

* * *

Outside the gang was _patiently_ waiting for Kairi. "Hurry up!" Selphie shouted so that Kairi could hear. Kairi ran out the door still putting on her shoes. "Good."

Riku was keeping himself from laughing again. "Shut up," Kairi grumbled still red in the face.

The group headed downstairs so they could search for the cafeteria. "So Kairi, did you sleep well?" Sora asked walking next to the auburn-haired girl.

"Yes, did you?"

"Yep, this hotel is great."

"Yeah, it's so well furnished that it looks like a five star hotel!" Kairi enthused.

"Stop flirting and hurry up!" Yuffie shouted while trying to understand the hotel directory. Sora blushed looking down at Kairi who frowned.

"We're not flirting!" she shouted running towards Yuffie.

"The cafeteria is down this hallway," Naminé said pointing to the center hallway. They made their way there and were surprised to see several people already there.

"I'm hungry let's get some _food_," Tidus said stressing the word food. Selphie joined the blonde in the line seeing the 'lunch ladies' slapping food onto their plates. Lucky for them they didn't have to pay, no one had any munny.

Once they got their food everyone headed to their tables. On the way to the table, Olette bumped into someone luckily she didn't drop her food. A black haired girl turned around. She had brown eyes and was wearing green Capri's with a white blouse.

"Sorry," Olette apologized.

"No it's fine, I'm Garnet."

"Olette." With that the two girls went their separate ways heading to their own tables. Everyone was seated. All the girls sat on the left side of the table while the boys sat on the right side. Today's menu was eggs, bacon, and waffles.

"After breakfast we should all do something together," Riku suggested eating some more of his eggs.

"Yeah!" Selphie exclaimed although her loud voice was muffled due to the food in her mouth. Everyone agreed and decided that they would split up into groups of two and explore the hotel.

* * *

After breakfast the groups left. It was Selphie and Tidus, Olette and Hayner (she stole Hayner away from Pence), Roxas and Naminé, Sora and Kairi, and Riku and Yuffie.

"So, Sora what do you like to do for fun?" Kairi inquired as she admired the structuring of the hotel.

"Well, I like to play sports like Blitzball with my friends, and I enjoy going for walks, and I like DDR," Sora answered happily. He was happy to have some alone time with Kairi.

"I love DDR," Kairi replied with a smile.

"Maybe the hotel will have a machine?" Sora suggested. As if on cue, the two passed the game room. They quickly ran into the room spotting the 'Dance Dance Revolution' machine. "Want to do it?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Kairi replied already standing on the left pad. Sora joined her on the right and started the game. They picked the song 'Waiting for Tonight'. The game started and they started to dance.

People began to gather as they watched the two dance through the song. Kairi and Sora were very good at it, almost flawless. Tifa watched while glaring holes in the back of Kairi's head.

Seeing the crowd from outside the room, Selphie and Tidus curiously entered. They spotted Sora and Kairi on the DDR machine. "Kairi!" Selphie cheered jumping up and down. The teens flooded into the room and the song ended. Both Sora and Kairi got A's. As Kairi was about to get off, Tifa jumped onto the pad grabbing her arm.

"You and me," she demanded as she changed the difficulty level to heavy. Kairi had no choice but to take her up on the challenge. Tifa selected the song 'Butterfly' and the two began to dance.

Sora looked to the others. "Come on, let's cheer for Kairi," he instructed, "You can do it, Kairi!" Unfortunately, Kairi was beginning to tire out and began to mess up her footing; she wasn't used to the difficulty setting. Tifa smirked as she continued to move her feet flawlessly.

"Kairi! Kairi!" Yuffie and Selphie chanted along with the rest of the gang. Fueled by their cheers, Kairi got back on track and was now doing as well as Tifa. Tifa frowned; she shoved Kairi off of the pad. Kairi yelped and fell to the ground allowing Tifa to win.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tifa stated with fake concern. She smirked at Kairi's fallen form. Sora ran over to Kairi and quickly helped her off the ground.

"We saw you! You shoved her off!" Selphie shouted as she glared at Tifa.

Sora left Kairi's side once he knew she was all right. He stood in front of Kairi defensively. Tifa chuckled, "You send this pipsqueak to fight me? How pathetic." She raised her fist aggressively.

"No!"

Everyone paused and looked toward Kairi. Tifa lowered her fist and raised an eyebrow. "Sora, you don't have to do that," Kairi stated as she gently pushed him out of the way, "This is for me to settle."

"Fine, we'll settle this at the dance," Tifa replied as she eyed Yuffie, "And you, since when do you hang out with losers?"

"They're my friends!" Yuffie shouted angrily, "You need to get out of your moody attitude, Tifa or you might just loose yours." Tifa laughed and began to walk away.

All eyes were now on Kairi. "Kairi, she'll destroy you!" Selphie whined sympathetically.

"This is just something I have to do, maybe she'll leave us alone after," Kairi replied hopefully. She'd never admit she was scared.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, that was the fifth chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Let's see what will happen with Tifa and Kairi. Please Review!_


	7. Tifa vs Kairi

_A/N: Kairi's getting into a fight, everyone must gasp! _

_Kairi: What's the big deal? _

_Sora: You could get hurt! _

_Riku: Yeah, weakling! _

_Kairi: I am not weak! _

_Disclaimer: Nope don't own Kingdom Hearts but I do have a copy of the game that I enjoy playing. _

* * *

Chapter Six: Tifa vs. Kairi

Selphie frowned as she stared at her best friend. _'Poor Kairi,'_ she thought sadly. "Kairi, you didn't have to do that Sora and Riku could've taken her down," Selphie said actually sounding serious for once.

"She would have still messed with me, I'm the only one who can end this," Kairi stated already knowing all eyes were on her.

Sora saddened. "Kairi-."

"Don't worry about me Sora, I'll be fine," Kairi assured him.

'_Kairi's totally going to get pummeled by Tifa, this is all my fault,' _Yuffie thought guiltily. She felt a pang in her heart. The guilt was overwhelming.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?" Kairi asked with a slight frown.

"Um, nothing Kairi," Yuffie lied with a slight, fake smile.

There was an awkward silence within the group. They were the only ones left in the game room. Tifa seemed to have taken the crowd with her. Selphie patted Kairi's shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, lets go shopping, maybe that will cheer you up Kairi," Selphie offered with a weak smile.

"Sure, that'd be great," Kairi answered gratefully.

"I'll come too," Naminé added as she walked toward the two girls.

"Me three!" Olette exclaimed in an attempt to brighten the mood. The girls looked at Yuffie waiting for her answer. She nervously fidgeted.

"Sorry guys, I've got something to do," Yuffie replied sadly.

"Don't worry about it," Kairi replied turning around, "Well, let's go." The four girls left the game room leaving Yuffie alone with the boys. Now they turned to Yuffie.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Riku questioned; he acted as though he was interrogating her.

"Like I said, I have something to do," Yuffie replied carelessly. She didn't have to answer to Riku; she hardly knew him.

"What exactly?" Riku dared to ask. He couldn't help but be curious.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Yuffie asked with a bit of an angry undertone.

"I think your friendship with Tifa is interfering with your friendship with Kairi and Selphie," Riku judged wisely.

"Just leave me alone," she grunted. With that said, Yuffie left the game room and headed toward the Girl's hallway. Tidus scratched his head nervously. Sora sighed waving goodbye; he decided to leave the game room as well. Hayner and Roxas glanced at each other not knowing what to say. The awkward silence returned like a plague.

Riku turned to them. "Let's go see if they have a pool," he suggested.

"Okay!" they all replied in unison following Riku out of the game room. Yuna and Rikku appeared from behind an arcade game.

"Wow! The tension is up!" Rikku exclaimed while jumping up and down excitedly.

"Yes, that Tifa is cruel though," Yuna commented.

"Totally a big meanie!" Rikku agreed childishly.

* * *

At the mall, the girls were shopping for the dresses that they would wear at the dance. Neither of the girls thought there would be a dance so they hadn't packed anything nice for it. Everyone was content with what they were doing except Kairi, who's mind was somewhere else.

'_I'm totally going to get pummeled! Oh, what am I going to do?…I'll probably end up dead by the end of tonight,' _Kairi thought as she nervously flipped through the dresses.

"Kairi, have you found anything you like?" Selphie asked shouting from the other side of the store. She would be buying the dress for Kairi as a 'cheer up' gift.

"No!" she shouted back. _'I haven't found a single dress I would want splattered with blood,' _she thought with a frown.

"Hey Kairi, this would look great on you," Olette suggested as she held up a dress to Kairi. "Try it on!" she cheered. Before Kairi could even see what the dress looked like she was pushed into the dressing room to try it on. Olette, Selphie, and Naminé were waiting for her outside the dressing room.

Kairi held the dress in front of her. It was a strapped, ruby red dress. The top of the dress v-necked to where the straps were, so it showed minimum cleavage. It was like a tank top shirt to her waist then towards the bottom it opened up. She supposed it would twirl around loosely if she spun in it. She changed into it and walked out of the dressing room to show everyone.

"That looks great!" Selphie squealed as she hopped up and down.

"You look very pretty," Naminé complimented gleefully.

"I told you so," Olette joked.

"Thanks, now the blood won't show up," Kairi muttered sadly before she trudged back into the dressing room to change.

"Wow, I've never seen Kairi so down," Selphie announced worriedly.

"We have to find a way to cheer her up," Olette added with a nod as she looked to Naminé and Selphie for ideas.

"How about we all meet in Selphie's room for girl chat before the dance," Naminé suggested as she stared at her two, new friends. Selphie's face brightened.

"That's a great idea! You're a genius!" she wailed her praises causing Olette to cover her ears. Kairi came out of the dressing room holding her dress. "Hey Kairi, we're going to meet at my room before the dance, okay? Great!" Selphie had just forced Kairi into coming to her room. She wasn't going to take no for an answer, anyway.

'_I wonder what they're planning,'_ Kairi thought as she watched the three girls suspiciously.

* * *

In Selphie's room, the girls were talking about what the dance would be like, and whom they wanted to dance with out of the boys. It was typical girl chatter. Soon enough, they began to talk about who they thought was the cutest out of the boys. Kairi wasn't really part of the conversation; she was consumed in her own thoughts instead.

"Kairi!" Selphie called as she stared toward her, "Who do you want to dance with?"

Kairi was silent for a minute. She hadn't really given it much thought. She shrugged and then looked back at the carpeted floor.

"I bet she wants to dance with Sora," Selphie teased to see if Kairi would jump into the conversation. To her surprise, Kairi wasn't enraged; she didn't even have a slight blush on her face. She was just as pale as ever.

"I told you before I don't like Sora," Kairi replied sadly.

"Cheer up!" Selphie shouted angrily.

"I can't," Kairi moped.

"Sure, you can!"

"Selphie, could you just shut up," Kairi groaned. There was an awkward silence in the room. No one knew what to say to the saddened girl. All they could do was stare at her in pity.

_'Knock Knock'_

Selphie quickly jumped up to answer the door. She opened it and saw the boys on the other side. "Hey guys," she greeted with a frown. Worry was practically flowing from her being.

"She's still not happy?" Tidus asked sounding surprised. Selphie slowly nodded opening the door wider so they could some in. Kairi didn't bother to say hello to any of them.

"Let's get the dance," Riku suggested from his position in the doorway. "I'm sure Tifa's waiting for you Kairi. Besides, there is no use preventing the inevitable. My advice is stare her in the face bullies hate when you do that."

Kairi smiled weakly. "Thanks," she said standing up,"Well, I better get going the sooner this is over with the better." With that said, she left the room.

"Come on, we better go support her," Olette suggested as she grabbed Hayner and led the group out of Selphie's room. Sora was still worried about Kairi. He had only known her for a day, but she was his friend and he didn't want anything terrible to happen to her.

* * *

The meeting area was where the dance was being held. Kairi entered the room wearing her red dress with brown sandals; she didn't have any other suitable-looking shoes. She sighed as she waited for her doom. She quickly got lost in the crowd of teens already dancing. The meeting area had all of the normal lights turned off. They were replaced by multicolor strobe lights and a disco ball that reflected them all from the ceiling. There was a DJ and refreshments on the left side of the room.

The others entered the meeting area unable to find Kairi anywhere. "Where'd she go?" Selphie exclaimed nervously as she anxiously looked around the large room. Sora quickly ran into the crowd shouting 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' to everyone he passed.

"I hope Sora finds her," Roxas said as Sora was lost to the crowd. "Before Tifa does," he added. The others flooded into the room looking around for their lost friend.

Kairi stood in the center of the room looking around for Tifa. _'I hope it's not too painful,'_ she thought as she sighed to herself.

"Kairi!"

She turned around thinking she heard her name called. Yet, she saw nobody behind her or around her that she knew. Before she knew it, she was pulled to the ground and dragged out of the room. Sora happened to spot Kairi being dragged out of the room by Tifa and hurried after the two girls.

Kairi was thrown down onto the concrete. She looked up and spotted Tifa hovering over her. Tifa smashed her knuckles together making Kairi more fearful then she already was. She raised her fist and brought it down on Kairi's stomach making her hold it in pain. Kairi hadn't realized the violence would start so soon.

Tifa helped Kairi to her feet by pulling Kairi's hair. She smirked and then shoved Kairi away from her. Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but Tifa only kicked her down again. Tifa raised her fist about to punch her again but Kairi put her hands in front of herself blocking the punch.

Kairi didn't know much about fighting so she had no idea what to do. Out of desperation, she bit down on Tifa's arm causing her to cry out in pain. Tifa angrily growled before she kicked Kairi again. Tifa attempted to punch Kairi, but Kairi moved just in time causing Tifa to miss most of her face. Kairi still felt the impact on her lip, though; she suspected it would be swollen later. Kairi threw her shoes at Tifa and attempted to run away.

To Kairi's disadvantage, it started to pour down raining making her dress stick to her legs. She couldn't help but think how cliché it was. Tifa grabbed Kairi by the hair and pulled hard. Kairi whined and whimpered as she struggled to get free. Tifa hit her in the chest taking the breath away from Kairi. She fell back onto her butt gasping for air; she'd never been hit so hard in her entire life. Tifa raised her fist about to make the final blow, but someone else blocked the punch.

* * *

_A/N: Poor Kairi she's been beaten to the ground, literally. Hmm I wonder who saved her? Oh well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter. Which will probably be coming sometime today. Maybe._


	8. Kairi Lives!

_A/N: Chapter Seven! Who saved Kairi?_

_Yuffie: I don't know but the important thing is will they seek revenge? _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts _

Chapter Seven: Kairi Lives!

"Leave her alone!" Sora yelled before he shoved Tifa back. Sora turned to Kairi. He was about to check if she was all right when Tifa shoved him. Sora growled angrily as he jumped to his feet. He wasn't one to hit girls, but Tifa was going to have to be an exception. He moved to punch her, but Tifa grabbed his hand. Thinking on his feet, Sora swiftly kicked Tifa in the stomach. Tifa fell back glaring at Sora. She spit at the ground and then turned and ran into the hotel.

Sora breathed heavily as he attempted to calm himself. He looked over toward Kairi who was lying on the ground allowing the rain to fall all over her. "Kairi!" he shouted as he ran toward her. Kairi smiled weakly; she'd never been in so much pain.

"S-Sora, why'd you do that? You could've-." Kairi fell out of consciousness before finishing her sentence. Sora frowned; he knew she hadn't fainted because of Tifa. He suspected she passed out because of the stress. He sighed and lifted Kairi off of the ground. Her new dress was ruined. It clung to her body exposing every curve. Sora's spikes fell from the weight of the rain; his clothes were also just as drenched. He started to walk back to the hotel only to be greeted by Selphie and the others running out toward him. They had apparently caught of a glimpse of Tifa running back inside.

"Kairi!" Selphie gasped; she was absolutely horrified. She ran over to the limp friend shaking her and shouting 'wake up'. Sora stopped her by shaking his head.

"Right now, she needs her rest," Sora instructed wisely.

"Alright," Selphie mumbled. It was easy to tell that Selphie was doubtful. Tidus joined her side and grabbed her hand; he urged her back indoors.

* * *

Inside, no one seemed to notice Sora and Kairi as he snuck past the dancing groups of people. He looked to Naminé who was walking beside him. "Where's her room?" he asked the blonde.

"Follow me," Naminé instructed as she stepped in front of him. She led him down the girl's hall to Kairi's room. She still hadn't taken the pink marker off of her door. Sora opened the door and walked over to Kairi's bed. He laid her down and looking to Selphie and Olette. He motioned them to come over and they did so.

"Okay, she needs to be taken care of. Do you think you guys could spend the night in here and watch her?" Sora asked.

"Of course," they both replied.

"Great, I need Olette to get a warm washcloth and a bucket of water, and I need Selphie to get new clothes for Kairi, and Naminé, I need you to wash the dirt off of her face, I'll be back to check on you girls, okay?" Sora instructed quickly. It would be wrong of him to stay in the room while they did all of that.

Sora left with the other boys closing the door behind him. "When did you learn to take care of someone like that?" Tidus asked curiously.

"I took a health class before," Sora explained as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I hope she'll be alright," Roxas murmured as he followed the boys back down the hallway.

"I wonder why Yuffie didn't join us," Riku asked suspiciously. As if on cue, Yuffie ran down the hallway pushing past Riku as if he didn't exist. She was in a hurry to get somewhere. She was carrying a first aid kit. Riku and Sora looked back and saw her go into a room. They guessed that it was Kairi's and continued to walk away.

* * *

In Kairi's room, the girls were working hard to take care of their fallen friend. Selphie was holding a new pair of clothing for Kairi to wear. Olette held the washcloth on Kairi's head trying to get the unconscious girl to stop sweating and cool down. Naminé was wiping the dirt off of Kairi. She did her best not to touch anything questionable. Slowly and carefully, Selphie peeled off Kairi's dress and tried to put the dry clothes on her. It wasn't exactly going smoothly.

"Guys, help," she whined trying to pull the shirt over Kairi's head. Olette and Naminé lifted Kairi off the bed so she was sitting straight up. They helped pull down the shirt so that Kairi was wearing it properly. Olette lifted up Kairi's legs and Selphie put Kairi's pants on and buttoned them.

Naminé tucked Kairi into bed replacing the warm washcloth with a cool one. The girls let out a sigh of relief and fell back on the ground with a loud 'thud'. They all sat up looking at each other. "I hope she'll be okay," Olette said sounding a bit over-worried.

"Me too," Selphie agreed eyeing Kairi with a sympathetic look. _'Please be okay,'_ she prayed.

Hours passed and the girls were in their nightgowns asleep on the floor. They had brought their spare blankets and pillows into Kairi's room with them. The room was peaceful and the only light was from the moonbeams hitting the windowpanes. Kairi didn't stir; she was still out of it.

Sora quietly opened the door; it was his third visit that night. He sat next to her bed staring carefully at her face. It looked soft and pale underneath the moon's glow. The girls had taken good care of Kairi. Her hair had finally dried but the washcloth was still on her forehead.

"Kairi," he whispered moving the hair out of her face. "I hope you're alright, Tifa really did a number on you. Don't worry though, she won't mess with you anymore, I'll protect you…as a friend," he gently swore. He smiled.

Kairi groaned and slowly opened her eyes to reveal the purple orbs that looked dilated in the light. "Sora," she said softly her voice barely audible. He put his finger on her lips as if saying 'shut up' in a nice way. She nodded deciding to listen to his advice.

"Go back to sleep, you need your rest," Sora said rising from the chair. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that said, Sora left the room closing the door quietly behind him. Kairi smiled closing her eyes. She quickly fell back to sleep.

* * *

The morning came quickly. Selphie yawned; she lazily glanced toward Kairi's bed and was relieved to see Kairi awake and sitting up. "Kairi!" she squealed excited. She jumped up from the floor and ran to Kairi's bed. She happily pulled Kairi into a tight squeeze of a hug. Selphie's squeal caused the others to wake up to see Kairi gasping for air.

"Kairi!" Olette and Naminé exclaimed running to her side.

"Hi guys, what happened?" Kairi asked still feeling a bit dazed.

"Sora beat up Tifa for you! If it wasn't for him you'd probably still be out of it," Naminé explained as she smiled at Kairi. Kairi smiled too though it was only to mask her disappointment.

Selphie noticed Kairi's fake smile. She had known her all her life, she probably knew her better than Kairi's own mother. She didn't say anything about it, though; instead, she planned to ask later. "Kairi, today the competition starts. So, you better hurry up and get ready," Selphie advised before she released Kairi from her death grip. Kairi nodded getting out of bed.

"We'll see you outside," Olette said as she waved goodbye.

"Bye," Naminé said also leaving the room with the blankets she had taken from her room. Selphie was the last to say goodbye leaving with her blankets and closing the door behind her. Once they were all gone, Kairi let out a heavy sigh. She already felt pain in her stomach where Tifa had punched her. Kairi hardly remembered anything from last night; it was all a blur.

Kairi walked over to her suitcase. _'I still haven't unpacked,'_ she thought as she pulled out a pair of jeans and a white tank top. She quickly got dressed and ran into the bathroom; she came back out ten minutes later. Kairi noticed that it was only seven in the morning. _'Only? What am I thinking!'_ she thought mentally punching herself. She sighed and walked out onto her balcony for the first time. She breathed in the ocean air and smiled.

_'Knock Knock'_

"Come in!" Kairi shouted; she didn't dare take her eyes off the azure sky. Sora stepped in already dressed in black jeans and a dark blue shirt. He stepped onto the balcony looking at his auburn-haired friend. She turned around to face him; for some reason, she felt strange.

"Sora," she said as if that was as substitute for the word 'hello'. "I want to think you for last night, if it wasn't for you…well I probably wouldn't be here right now," she surmised.

Sora grinned and gave Kairi a light pat on her head. "Don't worry about it, that's what friends do they look out for each other," he said as he removed his hand. Kairi frowned, Sora had messed up her hair, but at the same time she smiled. She was lucky to have a friend that would risk his well being for her sake.

"Come on, let's join the others," Sora suggested while grabbing Kairi's wrist. He didn't want to send the wrong message by grabbing her hand. Even if he wanted to grab her hand. Kairi smiled as she was pulled toward the door. Sora released her wrist and opened the door. He was surprised to see Selphie and Tidus there with their ears against it. They fell to the floor laughing nervously at the furious Kairi.

"I see your feeling better," Riku announced his presence. He leaned against the wall casually. Kairi nodded; her furious face changed back into a calm one. Then it hit her.

"Where's Yuffie?" Kairi suddenly asked.

Riku shrugged. The thought had occurred to him several times. Yuffie hadn't been in Kairi's room and she wasn't there at the dance or the fight. He'd only seen her once, briefly, running down the hallway. _'Where the heck is she!'_ Riku shouted in his mind as he looked around. Kairi began to worry about her friend.

"I'm going to go see if she's in her room," Kairi announced as she stepped over Tidus and Selphie. Sora had a bad feeling about this.

"Hey Kairi, maybe you should wait till she confronts you," Sora advised as he stepped in front of her.

"Don't be silly she's my friend and I'm going to check up on her," Kairi replied with a small chuckle. The two approached the room. Sora still had a bad feeling about this; he wanted to stop her, but he knew she wasn't going to listen to him. Kairi opened the door and was immediately shocked at what she saw.

'_S-Sh-She… Yuffie!' _Kairi thought angrily. She'd never felt so betrayed.

* * *

_A/N: I wonder what Kairi saw. Must have been bad. Poor Kairi being beat up and now she saw something bad. But what was it?_ _You'll find out soon enough!_


	9. Horrible Truth

_A/N: Let's see what Yuffie did! Oh, I'm so excited!_

_Sora: But you wrote it shouldn't you know already? _

_Me: Oh shut up, Sora and read the story! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. _

* * *

Chapter Eight: Horrible Truth

Yuffie's eyes widened. Her face felt hot, no, it was burning! The worst thing that could ever happen, just happened. She was so scared she couldn't speak. The words wouldn't come out her mouth; she was just so shocked. Yuffie felt like she was losing her mind. She couldn't think of anything anymore; all her thoughts were concentrated on one person, _Kairi_.

Kairi stood there. Hot, steamy tears already running down her cheeks. The worst thing that could ever happen, just happened. Why did she have to open the door? She felt as if she was choking on the air she couldn't breathe. Devastation hit her so suddenly. This was her friend? No, it couldn't be. No friend would ever do something like that. Her mind just went blank. All thinking ceased.

Sora knew this was coming. He watched as the two girls just stared at each other. He knew Kairi was in tears, he could feel it. What friend would that do to them in their time of need? It was beyond him. "Kairi," he said softly as he attempted to reach out to her. She slapped his hand away and tried to keep her calm.

Selphie, Tidus, and Riku soon joined the two wondering what the hold up was. Then they saw it. Selphie gasped; she looked to Kairi and watched as her tears dropped to the floor. She couldn't even bring herself to say anything to her auburn-haired friend. The words seemed to just fly away. Tidus just stood there pondering what was going on. He was confused at what was happening. Riku simply had that 'I told you so' look on his face. Which was hidden by the glare he was sending toward Yuffie.

Kairi's fists clenched she looked at her feet not even bothering to face Yuffie. "You! _You! _How could you, Yuffie! I thought you were my friend! One of my _best_ friends! But no, I see how it is, I can take a hint if you care about her so much maybe you should date her!" Kairi screamed as calmly as possibly. She quickly retreated from the scene with her fists still clenched. Her entire body was shaking as she walked down the hallway.

Tifa smirked triumphantly. She eyed Yuffie and admired the shocked expression on the girl's face. Tifa had just succeeded in taking away one thing that Kairi loved very much; now, it was time to move on to step two.

Selphie entered the room. She was a ball of pure rage. She slapped Yuffie across the face. "Youtraitorhowdareyou!Arrgyouhurtheryouyouyouyou!" Selphie screamed quickly before running away the same way Kairi had left.

Sora, Riku, and Tidus left quietly not bothering to shut the door. They ran after the girls wondering if they would unleash their anger on them. Olette and Naminé followed unaware of what was going on, but figured the boys might need help with whatever it was.

* * *

Kairi was in the hotel's courtyard sitting on a bench. She was sobbing her eyes out; her face was drenched in her own tears. Riku noticed her and hurried over to her; he hoped that he would be able to console her. Sora watched Kairi with eyes full of empathy, he knew just how she felt, but now wasn't his turn to help her. He decided to go with Tidus to go track down Selphie instead.

"Kairi," Riku whispered as he cautiously took a seat next to her.

"Go away," Kairi rudely replied.

"I'm not going to leave you," Riku replied sternly. Kairi's sobs silenced; she looked up at him curiously.

"What do you want?" she dared to ask. She couldn't help but be a little skeptical at the moment.

"I want you to be happy," Riku answered sincerely.

"I hardly know you," Kairi spat more sinisterly than she meant too.

"So, that never stopped anyone before," Riku answered wisely, "How else do you make new friends, right?"

"Fine, try and cheer me up," Kairi reluctantly agreed. She felt unsure, but she was willing to give Riku a chance.

"Well, how about I treat you to some ice cream?" Riku suggested.

"That's a start," Kairi replied; she fought the urge to crack a smile.

"And I'll let you pour all your problems on me," Riku added; he knew how girls loved to talk about their problems.

"Really?" Kairi asked in disbelief.

"Of course," Riku replied with a smile. Kairi smiled and stood up.

"Thanks Riku, I feel so much better," Kairi replied, "I like vanilla, by the way." Riku stood up and dared to grab her hand.

"Come on, we better go find the others," Riku suggested. Kairi nodded and hurried toward the door that led inside with Riku's hand still in hers. She was sure Selphie and the others were near. Sure enough they were, Selphie was calmed down and had her head resting on Tidus's shoulder. He was smiling in triumph.

Sora noticed Riku and Kairi first. "Kairi, are you feeling better?" Sora asked still worrying about her. He didn't bother to ask why she was holding Riku's hand.

"Yes, much better," Kairi replied flashing him one of her signature smiles. Sora felt himself melt in her smile. _'Wait, what am I thinking I just met her!'_ he thought before he mentally slapped himself.

"Come on guys, the first competition's about to start!" Roxas exclaimed panting. He had run down several hallways trying to find them. The others felt alarmed, but quickly followed Roxas to the meeting area where Cid had already started talking into the microphone. Riku would have to get Kairi that vanilla ice cream later.

* * *

The group flooded into the room watching Cid carefully. "Okay folks! Today's event is the tug-of-resistance!" Cid shouted into the microphone causing a loud beeping sound to screech out the speakers. Everyone groaned covering his or her ears. "Sorry! Well anyway, follow me to the competition where you will all meet your captains!" The group of boys and girls followed Cid to the competition grounds where all six captains were waiting for their members.

"Okay, you should have found a specific color marker on your door now we're going to match that color up with your team leader then the games can begin!" Cid announced.

Kairi remembered seeing a pink marker on her door when she first came to the hotel. It was only a glimpse so she hadn't really paid attention. "Okay, out of the girls, who received a pink marker!"

"I did!" Selphie squealed making Cid a little nervous to see her jump up and down like a maniac.

"Umm okay little girl, did you take your medicine?" he nervously asked. Selphie stared at him weirdly wondering what he meant. "Never mind! Go join Aerith over there! Hurry, hurry! Haha…" Selphie happily skipped toward Aerith who smiled and warmly greeted Selphie. Naminé and Olette quickly followed Selphie who was followed by Kairi.

"Okay, who received a light blue marker? Join Quistis if you did!"

Rikku, Paine, Yuffie, and Garnet joined their team captain who greeted them all with a smiling face and sweet voice. Though, they all sensed this was only temporary. The four girls could sense an inner sternness within Quistis.

"Okay, whoever received a red marker join Beatrix!"

Tifa and Yuna walked over to Beatrix who waved and looked around for the other girls. A black haired girl with gray eyes came out of the crowd. She was wearing a blue jean skirt and an ocean blue v-necked shirt. Her name was Rinoa. Also following Rinoa was a periwinkle-haired girl who had red eyes. She was wearing khaki Capri's and a blue button up shirt. Her name was Fuu.

"Now time for the boys! Okay, whoever received a green marker join my man, Zell!"

Sora, Tidus, and Roxas looked at each other and gave and received high-fives. They quickly joined Zell who greeted them with a smug grin. A red haired boy followed them his hair was much more spikier than Sora's. He had green eyes and wore a black leather jacket with jean pants and a white t-shirt. His name was Axel.

"If you received a dark blue marker join Cloud!"

Pence walked over to Cloud. A silver haired man followed him. He had blue eyes, and wore a purple muscle shirt with white slacks. And also a small kid who wore a big beige hat to cover his eyes. He wore a blue button up shirt with baggy blue pants. His name was Vivi. Lastly, a black haired man who was wearing a dark blue muscle shirt with black wind pants. His name was Zack.

"Lastly if you received a gray marker join Leon!"

Riku and Hayner joined Leon as they waved to their friends who were in other groups. Riku smirked at Kairi making a slight blush appear on her face. An orange haired boy with brown eyes also joined Leon's group. He was wearing orange parachute pants with a white shirt. His name was Wakka. Lastly a blonde boy with really blue eyes and blonde hair joined them. He was wearing blue pants with a white shirt with a white beanie for a hat. His name was Seifer.

"Okay! Here are the rules; One person from each team will be put in a lasso with three ropes attached to it, the opposing group will pull on the ropes attempting to make the person fall whoever stays up the longest wins, now it will be group one vs. group one and so on, let's get cracking!" Cid shouted leading the teens to the competition area.

Kairi saw Yuffie walk by and quickly looked the other way. She refused to make eye contact with a traitor/liar. Every time she even glanced at Yuffie or even thought of Yuffie she became enraged with fury. She turned to face her teammates.

"So, who's going to be in the lasso?" Kairi dared to ask.

"Not me," Naminé said taking a small step back. With Naminé already putting the foot down that left Olette, Kairi, and Selphie. The three girls looked at each other with baffled expressions. Neither of them wanted to be in the lasso.

"I'll do it!" Selphie finally exclaimed breaking the silence, "Just give me some pixie sticks and I'll be fine!" Kairi pulled out some pixie sticks from her pocket and gave them to Selphie who poured them all into her mouth at once. She was like Popeye with spinach. Now Selphie was ready to 'party'. "Come on, where's the lasso!" she exclaimed quickly sounding very hyper active. Sora was taken aback seeing the hyper girl; he thought she might be hard to pull. On their team Tidus had decided to be in the lasso.

Selphie put the lasso around her; a creepy grin formed on her face. The boys pulled at her but she didn't budge. While Tidus, hadn't had that much luck, he was being pushed around like there was no tomorrow. On the other teams Yuffie had been put in the lasso against Seifer. For the third team it was Tifa against Zack.

As the minutes passed by each teenager began to grow weak, except Selphie who still didn't budge no matter how hard Sora, Roxas, and Axel pulled. She was like a living rock. Tidus on the other hand, with one last tug from Olette he came crashing to the ground making the other boys stop. The boys had lost this round.

On the second team, Seifer was victorious, while on the third team Tifa was. Yuffie sighed not feeling up to the competition, as she was earlier in the week. She felt a lost feeling in her gut, all her friends despised her. No one would even look her way. The worst part was, it was _all her fault_.

'_Why can't they understand? She was my friend too, there's no way Kairi could've been as bad as Tifa!'_ Yuffie thought; she longed to punch herself in the face. She just wanted to run into her room and sob on the floor. Her group looked at her with distraught faces. Yuffie looked at her shoes dumbstruck, there was nothing she could possibly say to lift their spirits. She had failed them miserably. She was despondent. The usual jaunty Yuffie had disappeared.

* * *

After the competition, Tifa and Yuffie met in Tifa's room. Tifa had already noticed Yuffie's grief. So she decided to _motivate_ her friend. Yuffie was seated on the couch in Tifa's room. Tifa pulled up a chair and sat in front of her staring dead at her.

"What did you want?" Yuffie inquired casually.

"Just to cheer you up! After all, it was a shame Kairi didn't understand you were just being a good friend," Tifa answered with a kind smile. Yuffie ripped her focus from her feet to Tifa.

"What do you mean?" Yuffie asked almost desperately.

"I might be Kairi's enemy, but you're also my friend so you helped me. Besides, she wasn't in a condition as bad as mine right? A true friend would understand you. A true friend wouldn't have treated you like the dirt she walks on!" Tifa explained enthusiastically. Yuffie sighed still not feeling cheery.

"I was a jerk," Yuffie uttered.

"No, you weren't. She was the jerk for not understanding that you have more friends now, other than her. Kairi's just jealous she doesn't have a great friend like me. She obviously doesn't cherish you as much as she should. Especially the way she just tossed you to the side like garbage. You should have better people around you, like me," Tifa continued.

Yuffie paused for a moment thinking hard about what Tifa had just said. It was true. If Kairi truly cared about her, she wouldn't have done that. She understood fights, but that was just merciless. Why didn't Kairi understand that she was torn between two people she really cared about?

"You know what Tifa, you're right! I'm going to help you get revenge on both Sora and Kairi!" With that said, Tifa smirked and watched Yuffie leave the room.

'_Credulous idiot, it's good to be me,'_ Tifa thought with an evil smirk that never seemed to leave.

* * *

_A/N: Wow Tifa's cruel, she's so twisted! No offense to those Tifa fans I happen to be one too! I just thought she'd make a good bad guy for now anyway. Hope I didn't say too much! Anyways, I'm working on a one-shot for this so look out for that. Of course, it'll be separate from this story. I don't exactly know the title yet so I'll tell you before it comes out. Thank you for all my reviews I love you all endlessly! And not, that way you perverts! So press the pretty purple-blue button and review! _


	10. The Beach

_A/N: This is unoriginal to the story, but after going through and editing it some I decided it was necessary to add a chapter. The transition between chapter's nine and ten didn't really read well and I put up this chapter to sort of fill in the gap. So, should you read this now for the first time you won't know the difference. But, if you're re-reading this for some reason I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for understanding. Love, Aerith. _

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Beach**

Kairi stepped out of her bathroom already dressed and ready for the day. There was no competition today so she would have some downtime. She was hoping to spend the day with Selphie and the rest of the girls at the mall, but she didn't mind doing something else. She tugged at her pink tank top as she opened the door to her room. She was surprised to see Riku standing on the other side of it.

"Hey, Riku. What's up?" she asked, "I didn't expect to see you awake this early."

Riku casually shrugged. "Just thought you might like that vanilla ice cream now," Riku replied with a sly smile.

"Oh, sure," Kairi replied with a smile, "Just let me tell Selphie I'm leaving and we can go." Riku nodded and stepped out of her way. He watched her retreating form with a grin on his face. He had to admit she looked nice in both pink and khakis.

Kairi quickly knocked on Selphie's door. Selphie answered it happily. "What's goin' on, Kairi!" she cheered excitedly, "I'm not ready to go to the mall yet."

"Oh, no. This isn't about that. I'm actually going to go grab a bite with Riku so I wanted to let you know I was gone," Kairi explained. She dared to step away from the door.

"A date with _Riku_!" Selphie practically sang at the top of her lungs, "I CANNOT believe this! I have to tell everyone. You wait here!" She ran out of her room in just her yellow towel and began eagerly knocking on everyone's doors.

Kairi frowned in embarrassment. "We should go," Kairi murmured as she grabbed Riku's arm and pulled him out of the girl's hallway. Out of respect for Selphie, Riku had politely covered his eyes. "I'm so sorry about that," Kairi managed to say as they quickly ran out of the hotel and toward the bus stop.

"It's no big deal," Riku replied coolly, "I sort of expected that reaction from her. I haven't known her long, but she seemed like the type to do that."

Kairi laughed, "Yeah, you'll get used to her antics soon enough, Riku. So where did you want to go get ice cream?"

Riku shrugged. "A place that has ice cream?" he replied.

"Hm, I think I have an idea," Kairi suddenly said, "Follow me?" Riku nodded and followed Kairi away from the bus stop. She led him to a vendor cart near the beach. "Will this do?" Kairi asked.

"This will do just fine," Riku replied, "You can go sit on that bench over there and I'll bring over the ice cream." Kairi nodded and happily walked away.

* * *

Sora eagerly walked down the Girl's hallway toward Kairi's door. _'All I gotta do is just ask her, I'm sure she won't mind spending a couple of hours with me,' _he thought as he bravely approached the door. He motioned to knock when he heard the strangest noise. He looked to his right and saw Selphie giggling at him from her room.

"She's not there!" Selphie giggled excitedly.

"Where is she?" Sora dared to ask.

"On a _date_ with Riku," Selphie replied childishly, "I imagine they've already kissed by nooow!"

Sora felt flustered. "When did this happen?" he almost demanded.

Selphie shrugged. "She just came to my door and told me she was leaving and then disappeared before I could ask more questions. Guess it's my fault, though. I kind of ran out in a towel trying to tell everyone because I was so excited!" she explained happily.

"Oh," Sora muttered.

Her eyes widened curiously. "Why did you want to see Kairi, anyway?" she asked suspiciously. She edged out of her room a little more revealing her matching yellow shirt, shorts, and shoes.

"I just wanted to check to make sure she was still all right," Sora lied with a fake grin, "Can't be too careful about that kind of thing. Especially after the whole Yuffie incident, I just wanted to make sure she wasn't –uh alienating herself."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Selphie squealed. She turned into her room and shouted, "Hey guys! Sora wanted to make sure Kairi wasn't alietionating herself! He didn't want a date!"

Sora blushed. "Who is in your room?" he asked. He hurriedly walked over to Selphie's door and she stepped away to reveal the whole gang hanging around in her room. "What are you guys doing in here?" he asked, a little startled.

"Just chilling," Tidus casually replied.

"Wanna chill too?" Selphie offered with a cheeky smile.

Sora sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess," he replied. This was not how he planned on spending his day. He sighed and walked inside.

"I almost thought he was gonna alienation himself," Selphie whispered into Hayner's ear. He simply smirked.

"Selphie, it's alienate," Pence corrected. Olette slapped his arm.

Selphie casually waved her hand at Pence. "You say potato, I say patooto," she replied with a false sense of wit. Pence sighed and held his head in his hands.

Sora took a seat on the floor next to where Naminé and Roxas were seated. They seemed to be really enjoying each other's company. Sora sighed and thought, _'That should be me and Kairi.' _

"So, what do you guys want to do today?" Selphie asked curiously as she sat down next to Tidus.

"Pool?" Roxas suggested.

"No, let's go to the beach!" Olette shouted excitedly.

Naminé nervously shifted in her seat. She stared at her creamy skin and sighed. "Does anyone have a sun hat?" she asked hopefully.

"I have one," Roxas suddenly said.

She smiled. "Mind if borrow it for today? My skin will burn if I don't protect it," she explained.

"Sure thing," Roxas replied happily, "Anything for Naminé."

Selphie giggled happily and began to sing, "Roxas and Naminé sitting in a tree!"

Naminé's entire face turned red. "Oh, stop!" she shouted in embarrassment, "It isn't like that!"

"Yeah," Roxas jumped in. The group looked for him to say more words of disagreement, but he had nothing else to say.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Roxas. We know who you're going to spend most of your time with on the beach anyway," he replied slyly, "I'm sure Naminé will need lots of sun tan lotion."

"I will too," Selphie said with a flirty wink. Tidus grinned happily.

Roxas leaned over and whispered in Naminé's ear, "They're the ones that need a song." Naminé chuckled and nodded her head.

Tidus put his hands in the hair. "What?" he exclaimed, "Is it so wrong for me to be attracted to her?" He rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet. "I like Selphie!" he declared proudly. Selphie giggled excitedly.

"Yeah, we know. Come on, guys. No need to tease anymore if he admits it. How boring," Hayner whined. He stood up and pushed open Selphie's door. "We'll see you all at the beach!"

Everyone hurriedly exited the room leaving Tidus and Selphie alone. "Did I say something wrong?" Tidus asked with a slight frown. Selphie only shrugged in response.

* * *

Kairi threw her head back and laughed. "Really? I didn't realize Sora was so prone to embarrassment!" she exclaimed through her laughter.

Riku shrugged; a grin was clear on his face. "He's gotten himself into some interesting situations. I could tell you more but I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate it," Riku replied with a small laugh, "But what about you? We've talked about me and about Sora."

Kairi paused. "I thought that part of the offer was just a joke," she replied before she quickly finished off her ice cream cone.

He shook his head. "Nah, I was pretty serious," he answered rather seriously.

"Well, what can I say about myself? You've probably guessed I like pink and that spectrum of colors," she joked as she stared at what she was wearing.

"Anything deeper than that?" Riku asked with amusement dancing in his eyes. He could tell she wasn't one to go on and on about herself. That wasn't necessarily a bad trait, but he did want to know more about her.

"Ah, deeper, huh? What qualifies as deeper?" she dared to ask.

"Fears, feelings, secrets, those sort of things," Riku quickly replied, "I'm just dying to hear all about them."

Kairi blushed. "Really? Well, all right. I hate to admit it but I'm scared of dying or losing the people that are important to me," she began.

"That's a start."

"I guess that's why the thing with Yuffie really bothered me. I mean, I know she has other friends but it just didn't seem right she'd side with the friend that was wrong. Friends don't let their friends beat up their past friends, you know? It's just a horrible thing to let happen. But I guess people change over time," Kairi explained with a frown, "Was it silly of me to think she'd be the same?"

Riku shrugged. "Everyone's different. Some people change drastically over the years while others tend to stay the same. I'm sure she thinks you're different too," he answered, "I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. You'll probably never see her after this competition, anyway. Things will return back to normal."

"I guess you're right," Kairi agreed, "It was nice while it lasted, though."

"So, do you have a boyfriend back home?" Riku dared to ask.

Kairi felt flustered. "A boyfriend? Is that part of your deep line of questioning?" Kairi asked curiously.

He shook his head and dared to put his arm around her again. "No, just wondering if I'll get a second date with you," Riku confessed with another one of his sly smiles.

She blushed. "No, I don't have a boyfriend," she answered, "Do you really think it's a good idea that we go on a second date? After this competition, I probably won't see you again."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I wouldn't mind visiting you," Riku replied, "You're worth the plane ticket. Besides, I would really like to get to know you."

She smiled. "That's really sweet of you," she whispered, "I didn't expect you to be so nice."

He shrugged. "Shouldn't judge someone before you know them. I didn't judge you," he replied with fake frown.

"Whatever! I saw your list!" Kairi exclaimed. She laughed and shook her head. "Fine, fine. You can have a second date if you promise to toss that list."

"Already done," Riku replied.

Kairi blinked. "Really?"

"Lost it somewhere between the plane ride and the bus ride," he confessed. Kairi laughed. "What? It's not funny. That was some really important stuff."

She rolled her eyes. "Right, important," she muttered playfully.

"You know what else is important?" Riku asked nonchalantly. Kairi shook her head. Riku scooted closer to her and looked her in the eyes. "How I feel when I'm with you," he whispered. Kairi felt faint underneath his powerful stare.

"Hey guys!"

Riku and Kairi quickly stumbled away from each other. Sora grinned cheekily at them. "Did I interrupt something?" he asked with a false curiosity. Riku grunted and stood up. He looked behind Sora and saw that the rest of the group was already heading toward the beach.

"Looks like our date's over," Riku announced.

Kairi smiled. "It was nice while it lasted, no reason why we can't enjoy the beach still, though," she suggested.

"Right, should probably get a swim suit, though," he replied.

"Good idea, we'll be back," Kairi said as she waved bye to Sora.

Sora frowned. "Hook, line, and sinker," he muttered as he watched Riku and Kairi leave hand in hand. He sighed and watched as Tidus, Selphie, Olette, Hayner, and Pence ran across the sand toward the water all screaming and laughing. "Might as well join," he thought out loud, "Wait for me!"

Roxas and Naminé cautiously walked toward the beach. Naminé frowned with every step. "A baseball hat isn't a sun hat," she lamented.

"I'm sorry! I thought a hat was a hat!" Roxas exclaimed. He had to admit she did look cute in his blue baseball hat, though. He secretly smiled.

Naminé sighed. "Luckily, I already put my pre-layer sunblock on inside so the damage shouldn't be so bad. Could you reach into my bag and get my sunscreen? It's the SPF 2,000 bottle," she requested sweetly.

'_I didn't even know that existed,' _Roxas thought as he rummaged through her belongings. He pulled out the white bottle and handed it to her. "Do you really need it if you're going to wear that?" Roxas asked curiously.

Naminé nodded. "I'm not going in the water with this," she replied as though it was obvious. Naminé was wearing a long, white dress with long sleeves. It covered her feet as she walked and practically covered all of her body. She handed the useless hat to Roxas and then slipped the dress over her head.

Roxas watched in awe as she tossed it to the sand. She was now wearing a white, string bikini. Roxas couldn't help but internally drool. "Would you mind putting some sunscreen on my back?" she requested. She pulled her hair over her shoulder so it wouldn't get in the way.

"Uh, sure," Roxas muttered as he fumbled with the bottle she handed him. He nervously opened it and squirted some of it into his hand. He quickly began to rub it into her back.

She smiled. "Do you need me to do you?" Naminé asked quickly.

"W-What?" Roxas stammered.

"Do you need me to put sunscreen on your back," Naminé repeated.

"O-Oh, sure!" Roxas nervously chirped, "That'd be great."

Lucky for Naminé, Roxas couldn't see her face while he rubbed in the sunscreen. It was so red it contrasted with the rest of her fair body. She now wished she had asked Olette or Selphie to help her. _'This is going to be a long vacation, isn't it?'_ she thought shyly.


	11. A Little White Lie

_A/N: Hi to all! This is the wonderful chapter nine. If any character seems too OOC please excuse me for it. You know how writers get caught up in their story and then accidentally mess the character up a little bit. Thank you!_

_Tifa: Hurry up so I can destroy Kairi! - **Laughs evilly-**_

_Me: Okay I'm scared now, and eternally scarred._

* * *

**Chapter Ten: A Little White Lie**

Several weeks had passed by. The competition was heating up, and already had all the teams tied for first place. Cid was beginning to worry that this might take longer than he initially expected. How was he supposed to know so many girls had a great deal of upper body strength and that the boys could actually wash clothes? His mistake. Therefore, he called a meeting today to discuss the matter with the teens.

As for the group, well you could just say things have gotten rocky between some of the friendships. Sora and Kairi had grown further apart. Sora wanted to talk to Kairi, but Kairi always had plans with Riku. Ever since that first date with him, she was all over him. Selphie and Tidus liked each other a great deal and decided to start dating for the time being.

Roxas and Naminé hadn't admitted their feelings to each other, although it was obvious that they liked each other. Everyone knew but the two were so oblivious that they didn't see it in each other. Seifer was planning to make a move on Naminé, as soon as he could separate Roxas and her for a couple of minutes or hours. Hayner and Olette had gotten together secretly that is. Nobody knew except Pence, but even he had to find out on his own.

Riku was enjoying Kairi's attention. He planned to ask her to be his girlfriend after Cid's meeting. He hoped that she was thrilled, and also that Sora would keep out of his way. He was fully aware of the brunette's attraction to her.

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine still spied on the gang every now and then jotting down notes about each person's behavior. Roxas was aware of this, but he didn't really mind. The three girls did the same thing in Alaska so it didn't really bother him. Tifa and Yuffie had become bullies to Kairi. Riku often had to bail her out of trouble. Yuffie had become cold-hearted and stern toward her older friends. Tifa's influence had changed the youth drastically. Tifa had started to casually date Zack, but had plans to cut it off.

* * *

The teens flooded into the small meeting area to see what Cid wanted. They were unaware of the problem that the blonde man faced. "Okay kiddos, it seems we have a time shortage on our hands, so I contacted _all _of your parents and now we have the entire summer vacation to finish up the competition!" Cid announced.

Small chats began all over in the room. Everyone was gasping, but happy about the ordeal. "That's all I wanted kiddos, remember tomorrow's a new competition!" Cid shouted before leaving the stage with his portable microphone. The room cleared and everyone went back to what they were doing before.

Sora took a deep breath and tapped Kairi on the shoulder. She turned around and greeted him with a warm smile. But Sora could tell she had been expecting someone else behind her.

"Oh, hey Sora," she greeted casually.

"Hi Kairi, I was just wondering if you'd like to…umm…hang out with me today," Sora dared to ask. He knew Riku would probably kill him for it later.

"That'd be great!" Kairi instantly replied. Sora rubbed his eyes to make sure he was awake. He pinched himself before realizing that this was reality.

"Great! Let's go!" Sora excitedly replied. He couldn't believe this. It was too good to be true.

"Oh…you meant now? Sorry Sora, I've got to meet Riku," Kairi answered with a slight frown.

"Oh, I guess that's important." Sora looked at his feet feeling as if his heart had been ripped out of him. The burn of rejection surged through his body.

"Yeah! Riku's so great! Well goodbye, Sora!" Kairi suddenly said with a wave of her hand. The excited look on her face only saddened him. Sora waved goodbye turning away and leaving the meeting area sadly. Rikku peered from behind a vase as she watched Sora trudge down the hallway.

"Aww poor guy, that's the fifty-eighth time she's turned him down," Rikku counted before she glanced over to where Riku and Kairi were. _'He must be really desperate if he's asked that many times, but they make a good couple! I support them unlike Paine who thinks Riku and Kairi look cute, not!_' Riku thought. She hadn't particularly taken a liking to Riku. Yuna thought that Rikku totally despised him, but that wasn't true. He just wasn't her type.

Kairi smiled at Riku. "You wanted to see me?" she asked cutely.

"Yeah." Riku flashed her one of his smirks making her blush. "I was just wondering if-," Riku began but he was interrupted.

"Hey, Kairi!" Rikku shouted as she waved to the auburn-haired girl.

"Hey, Rikku!" Kairi called back happily. She immediately took notice of the rare serious look on Rikku's face. "What's wrong?" she asked with concern dripping in her voice.

Rikku looked around nervously. "Umm, Sora's about to jump off the hotel! Hurry before he does it! You're the only one that can stop him!" Rikku lied. Before Kairi could say anything else, Rikku grabbed Kairi's arm and hurriedly dragged her toward the rooftop. _'A little white lie never hurt anyone,'_ Rikku thought mischievously.

The two girls reached the rooftop. To Rikku's surprise, Sora really was up there, and he was looking over the edge too. "Bye!" Rikku exclaimed. She quickly abandoned Sora and Kairi on the rooftop. She no longer needed to be there.

"Sora?" Kairi called as she cautiously approached him. She didn't want to scare him into doing anything he would regret.

"Huh? Oh, hey Kairi," Sora replied. His voice sounded rather dull and lifeless. Kairi frowned; she hated to see him this way. She hurried over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. Sora blushed. He enjoyed the contact, but he couldn't help but wonder why she was hugging him. "Wha-?"

Kairi's sudden crying stopped him from finishing his sentence. "Sora, don't ever do that!" Kairi cried as she stared into his confused eyes. Though confused, he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling wash over him. Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi pulling her closer to him. Kairi blushed as she continued to stare into his blue eyes.

Kairi was speechless. She also felt the same strange sensation wash over her causing her to weaken at the knees. She felt as if his big blue eyes were seducing her. She'd never felt this way before, which made her feel awkward but in a good way.

Sora didn't know what to do. He was confused. He couldn't tear himself away from her. He'd lost himself in her purple eyes. He didn't whether or not to kiss her or to let her go. Instinct took over.

They closed their eyes, and they felt themselves moving closer to each other. Before they could realize it, their lips brushed against each other. Sora and Kairi kissed unaware of all that was around them. Sora eyes fluttered open; his breath hitched as he realized what he'd just done. He quickly pulled away from her feeling a mix of guilt and tingles overcome him.

Kairi's eyes widened. The fear that had been bottled up inside of her was now released. She didn't know what to do. There was only one thing she could do. She would run, far away. Without warning, she turned away and dashed toward the stairs quickly disappearing from Sora's line of vision. Sora felt a pang of sadness hit him. He sighed sadly before he also ambled toward the stairs.

Tifa and Yuffie crawled out from behind a trashcan that had been mysteriously moved to the roof. Yuffie laughed at the odd couple. Tifa grinned an evil grin as she eyed a serious Yuffie. "Ah, I see," Yuffie said before she slammed her fist into her palm, "Let's do it!"

"This will be the end of Kairi!" Tifa laughed horrendously. Yuffie couldn't help but laugh at Tifa's horrible laughter; she fell to the ground. There was such a thing as an evil laugh, but there was also such a thing as putting too much effort into the laugh. Tifa sighed as she watched Yuffie roll around on the rooftop.

"What am I going to do with you?" Tifa muttered under her breath.

* * *

Kairi ran past everyone she happened to bump into. She didn't want to be seen right now. Everything was happening too quickly for her, she hadn't even realized she liked Sora that way until just now.

Selphie and Tidus were happily chatting when they noticed Kairi running down the hallway. "Hey, Kai-Kairi?" Selphie exclaimed as she watched her miserable friend run into her room and lock the door. "I wonder what happened," she murmured sadly. She looked to Tidus who simply shrugged; he was as clueless as she was. They hoped that the next person that came down the hallway could answer their questions, and he definitely could. Selphie jumped from her seat on the bench and in front of Sora; she planned to interrogate him until he confessed.

Being the Selphie that she was, she was excellent at reading the emotions in a person's facial expression. "Sora, what's the matter?" she asked as she examined his face. Tidus walked over to the two also concerned.

"Dude, first was Kairi and now you? What's going on?" Tidus questioned in an attempt to get Sora to speak. Sora touched his lips again and shook his head. He refused to tell them anything. Selphie's eyes widened; she knew exactly what happened. There was no doubt in her mind.

"You kissed Kairi, didn't you?" Selphie exclaimed a bit too loudly. Sora turned a dark shade of red before reluctantly and slowly nodding. Selphie squealed; she excitedly pulled both Tidus and Sora into her room and slammed the door shut. She sat them both on the couch and then squeezed in between them. "Okay, give me the juicy details!" she squealed with delight. Usually she would be bugging Kairi like this, but Kairi had locked her door and was probably in tears.

Sora sighed and turned to face the other way. He wasn't in the mood for Selphie's antics. His bangs covered his face in a way that protected his eyes from Selphie's intense stares. Selphie frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" Selphie dared to ask. She didn't understand why a kiss could be so bad.

"I offended her!" Sora suddenly shouted. The room fell into an awkward silence.

"It couldn't have been that bad, man," Tidus managed to say as he stared at the back of Sora's head.

"It was, she looked at me with pure hatred and ran away!" Sora exclaimed sadly.

"I've known Kairi all my life and that isn't something she would do," Selphie explained as she stood up. She yanked Sora from the couch and motioned for Tidus to follow. "Come on, we're going to get to the bottom of this even if we have to enter her room by balcony!" Selphie cheered excitedly. Both boys nervously choked down their saliva; they didn't like the idea of scaling buildings. Unfortunately, that was what they were going to have to do.

* * *

The three now found themselves running across girl's balconies trying to get to Kairi's balcony. "There it is!" Tidus shouted; he happened to catch a glimpse of Kairi slipping inside of her room. First, Tidus hopped over the railing of Kairi's balcony and landed on the ground. He caught Selphie who hadn't hesitated to jump across. Lastly, Sora closed his eyes and jumped and ended up landing on his knees.

Kairi heard the commotion going on outside her balcony door. She dared to look and spotted Selphie, Tidus, and Sora standing on her balcony. Kairi sighed and fell back onto her bed. _'Don't they understand what a locked door means?' _she thought slightly annoyed at the situation.

Selphie pushed through the doors and dragged a reluctant Tidus and Sora inside of Kairi's room. "Kairi!" Selphie called even though she was standing right in front of her friend. "We need some answers," she continued,"Kairi, Sora thinks you hate him!"

Kairi's head jerked up from her bed as if that was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard. "No, of course not!" she exclaimed before she hopped off of her bed and onto her bare feet.

"We'll leave you two lovebirds alone to _kiss_ and make up," Selphie teased. She smiled and grabbed Tidus's hand more gently than she had before. The two slipped out of Kairi's room and closed her door behind them.

"Kairi, I-I'm sorry," Sora stammered nervously.

"Don't be! I'm the one who's sorry! I shouldn't have run off like that, I was just scared," Kairi attempted to explain. She nervously began to twiddle her fingers.

"Of what?" Sora dared to ask.

"I don't know, I guess just because it was my first kiss, and I actually got to have it with someone I really care for," Kairi answered gently. She felt her cheeks heat up from her confession.

Sora perked up a bit. He stared at her curiously. "Really care for?" he wondered out loud.

"Yeah, Sora…I really like you…I'm sorry if you never want to speak to me again," Kairi confessed quietly. She was almost ashamed to admit it.

"No, I really like you too," Sora replied a little aggressively. Kairi smiled and pulled Sora into another hug. He happily received it and allowed her to snuggle into his chest. He sighed contently and gently stroked her hair. He wished he could stay with her, like this, forever. But that was a fool's wish from the start.

Kairi pulled away first. She gave him a fake smile. "Sorry Sora, I've got things to do today, so how about we hang out tomorrow?" she proposed hopefully. Sora nodded nervously as he began to walk toward the door; he didn't know what to say. Kairi opened the door for him. "See you," she whispered.

"Yeah," Sora muttered questionably.

That was all he said before stepping out into the hallway. He watched Kairi close the door and sighed heavily. _'Well she said tomorrow so I have something to look forward to right?'_ he thought as he began to travel down the Girl's hallway. Sora began to get lost in his thoughts and he then wondered why Yuffie joined with Tifa. Some things he just didn't understand about girls. Especially their strange mood swings.

Yuffie happened to brush past him in the hallway. Sora stumbled backward and dared to look at her. She retreated giving him the 'loser' sign as she walked away; she didn't even turn around to look at him. Sora frowned and decided to forget about it. He wasn't exactly the aggressive type of guy like Riku and Hayner. He preferred to keep away from violence unless there was a specific and important reason.

Yuffie walked down the hallway obviously searching for someone. _'Now where is he,'_ she thought as she peered around the corner. She jumped back and took in a deep breath. _'Okay I can do this, think positively and don't mess up! Then he'll fall into your trap!'_ She heedlessly walked down the hallway attempting to casually walk past Riku. Yuffie couldn't stop herself from staring into his aquamarine eyes before quickly ripping herself away from the sight. She had never seen eyes that could glow like that. It was almost mesmerizing.

"What are you looking at?" Riku asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh, hi Riku I didn't see you there!" Yuffie lied as she nervously laughed. Guilt was written all over her face.

"Don't lie, what's up?" Riku asked. He stopped and leaned on the wall; he stared deeply into her eyes and asked, "Have you finally stopped teasing Kairi?"

Yuffie didn't know how to answer. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She mumbled and stuttered incoherently as she looked around for an excuse or an escape. His killer glance made her want to confess every bad thing she'd ever done. She'd never wanted to do that around anyone unless she was talking to herself.

"Ah, I see," Riku murmured.

"S-See what?" Yuffie asked.

Riku smirked causing Yuffie to feel faint. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He let out a sigh, "I wonder what I should do with you."

"With me!" Yuffie's embarrassment quickly transformed into anger. "What are you talking about, old man?" Yuffie taunted. Riku frowned; he felt his blood boil from her insult, but he decided to let it go before he lost it.

"I went through a lot of hair dye to get my hair to look like this," Riku muttered as he opened his eyes again. Yuffie fell silent; she could sense his anger. "Now what did you want?" he asked.

"I-uh, well," Yuffie stammered.

"I think I know," he joked. Riku winked at Yuffie. "See you around." Yuffie was flustered. Her cheeks were red and she was confused. She watched the retreating albino-haired boy. She sighed and banged her head on the wall.

_'I just blew it.'_

* * *

_A/N: Uh-oh, looks like our albino-haired friend has found a new match. Just kidding. Riku would never, no wait… yes, he would. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine love to interfere, don't you think? Anyway, that one-shotI mentioned before is titled, 'A Date with Ms. Klutz'. It's TidusxSelphie sorry Yuna but I like that pairing better for Final Fantasy X but for Kingdom Hearts I like that one! So it's been uploaded and everything so if you feel like it go check it out for your dear author Aerith!_


	12. Overcoming the Obstacle

_A/N: Yeah, Chapter Ten! That's a double digit!_

_Sora: Does that mean we get to have a party!_

_Rikku: No, that means we have a fiesta!_

_Sora: A what?_

_Me: Never mind, but here's the next chapter!_

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Overcoming the Obstacle

"Okay folks, this time you're going to be running an obstacle course! All your teammates will be with you, of course. You all have to stay together. If you lose just one member, you're disqualified unless you can find that missing person in three minutes! Okay, Aerith's team will be wearing pink tags; Quistis's team will be wearing light blue tags, Beatrix's team will be wearing red tags, Zell's team will be wearing green tags, Leon's team will be wearing gray tags, and Cloud's team will be wearing dark blue tags," Cid explained as he watched the eager teens assemble their teams and put on their tags.

"I can't wait, Kairi! This will be the best competition yet!" Selphie exclaimed while literally jumping up and down.

Kairi laughed as she watched Selphie's excitement bubble over. "Here, put on your tags and stop acting like a rabbit on steroids!" she joked. Selphie smiled and hummed happily as she attached her tags to her belt loop.

"Okay, we should all try to link arms while running that way none of us gets side-tracked!" Olette suggested as she glanced around at the other teams.

"What if we trip? That means we're all down," Naminé stated; she glanced at Selphie when she said that. She'd been pulled down by one of Selphie's trips and it was an experience she didn't want to repeat.

Selphie grinned. "Don't worry! This time I put my shoes on the right sides!" Selphie assured. The group laughed.

* * *

Riku crossed his arms. He already had his gray tags secured. He watched his other teammates Seifer, Wakka, and Hayner prepare for the race. Or that's what they claimed to be doing. Hayner was staring at Olette dreamily, Seifer was managing to watch Naminé while still glaring toward Roxas, and Wakka was just being Wakka.

Riku glanced over at Yuffie and smirked. He watched her bend over to pick up the light blue tag she had dropped. In other words, you could say he was gawking. He had always been drawn to her, now that he had found out Yuffie liked him too he saw no harm in staring at each and every curve on her body. He was oblivious to the fact that Yuffie wasn't thinking that.

"Okay, here's the deal everyone, this will be our first all girls versus all boys. The first team to have all three groups finish successfully will win, while the first team to actually pass the finish line first will get an extra point but the overall winning gender will get a gender point! Okay, to the starting line!" Cid explained as he led the groups to the starting line, "Okay first, you must climb the rope wall all the way to the top and climb back down on the other side, then you must dive under the barbed wire and crawl through, then you must swing across the pile of mud successfully getting to the other side! And lastly, you must find your way through the maze then you just run to the finish line!"

"Sounds easy!" Tifa shouted pompously. She looked at her other teammates but saw their expressions weren't as confident.

"Alright then, Miss Show-off, get ready to start!" Cid announced.

The groups got into running position. They all looked at each other either frowning or smiling. It was obvious some were more competitive than others. Especially girls like Tifa and boys like Seifer.

"Ready!"

"Good luck, Kairi," Sora managed to whisper; he gave her a quick smile.

"Set!"

"You too, Sora," Kairi replied; she returned his smile.

"Go!"

The teams dashed away from the finish line making their way to the roped wall. Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, and Olette linked hands before starting. They remembered the rule that the teams had to stick together; of course, this put them in last place.

Tifa was in the lead while her team was scattered around the front and back. Beside Tifa was Seifer who was glaring at her very competitively. Tifa grabbed the rope and started to pull herself up. Seifer quickly followed after her with Sora's group right behind him. Vivi followed closely behind Sora; he didn't know whether to be more afraid of the height or Tifa and Seifer.

"See you, loser!" Tifa taunted before she jumped off of the wall. Cid saw this and quickly whispered to Beatrix to tell her to start over. Tifa grumbled and flashed a glare of Seifer who had already began running toward the next obstacle.

Most of the groups had already tackled the wall and started crawling underneath the barbed wire. Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, and Olette had only just begun their descent from the wall. Selphie hadn't exactly been in favor of heights and had her eyes closed tightly. The four girls reached the bottom in a few seconds and Selphie reopened her eyes. She smiled and said, "I wasn't scared!" Olette giggled and grabbed Selphie's arm dragging her toward where Kairi and Naminé were examining the barbed wire.

* * *

Yuffie was crawling through the barbed wire trying her best to keep up with Rikku and Paine. She couldn't help but be a little distracted by her own thoughts. All of them concentrated on Riku. _'Why did he wink at me? What's going on in his head?'_ she thought curiously. Up in front of her, Riku and Sora were racing to the swinging rope. Tidus, Hayner, Roxas, Axel, and Pence were hot on their trail. Yuffie finally made through the barbed wire, but decided to wait for Garnet before she went anywhere else. That's when she noticed _the_ problem.

"Yuffie!" Garnet cried distraughtly. Yuffie bent down and saw that Garnet's hair had gotten caught in the barbed wire. Her long flowing dark brown hair was tangled and wrapped around the barbed wire.

"We don't have time for this," Yuffie grumbled as she fumbled through her pockets. She pulled out a small pocketknife that she always had on her in case of an emergency. "I'm going to cut off your hair," Yuffie declared. Garnet's eyes widened. She couldn't dream of parting with her beautiful hair, but it was either that or the race.

"Go ahead," she reluctantly agreed. Garnet closed her eyes as Yuffie cut off her long, dark brown locks.

"Okay, you're free, come on! We can fix up your hair in the hotel okay?" Yuffie added. She imagined it must have been hard for Garnet to part with her hair like that. She felt sorry for Garnet.

"Right," Garnet replied with a slight smile.

The two girls linked arms and started their run toward the swinging rope. Garnet's cut locks remained on the barbwire unable to be untangled free. Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, and Olette crawled through the barbwire and reached the end with no problems. Naminé yelped as she crawled toward the dark brown strands of hair.

"W-What is that!" she stuttered as she pointed toward the mass of hair.

"Don't mind it. Hurry, we have to catch up with the others!" Olette exclaimed as she wiped the dirt from her knees. The four girls quickly linked arms and then headed toward the swinging rope that Garnet and Yuffie had just gotten pass.

* * *

Somewhere in the middle, Yuna had just caught up with Fuu and Rinoa. She took in a deep breath and looked at her other teammates. "Where's Tifa?" she inquired as she dared to look around for the dark haired menace.

Rinoa shrugged. Fuu pointed to the running figure of Tifa who had just shoved Kairi to the ground causing a domino effect among the other three girls. Tifa saw her team waiting for her and quickly caught up. They started to leave, but Yuna frowned and dared to look back at Kairi and her friends. She wanted to help them and apologize.

"Hurry up, Yuna!" Tifa shouted causing the brunette to jump a bit. She nodded and ran to catch up with the rest of her group.

* * *

In front of the rest of the crowd, Seifer and Roxas were fighting for the lead. Sora, Tidus, and Axel were behind them. Hayner had gotten delayed; in other words, Seifer tripped him. Why he tripped his own teammate was unknown to the rest of the boys. The boys were now standing in front of the entrance to a maze. Seifer shoved Roxas to the ground and quickly ran inside the maze.

"Let me help you," Axel offered with an extended hand. He quickly helped Roxas to his feet.

"Thanks," Roxas replied before he wiped the dirt off of his face with his arm. Sora looked behind them and attempted to find Kairi in all the chaos. He frowned; he couldn't help but worry about her. He sighed. Roxas patted him on the back. "Don't worry the girls are fine," he assured.

Sora turned around to face the blonde. "We should wait for them," he suddenly said.

"Are you crazy?" Tidus exclaimed, "They are way in the back! I saw them start, we would be letting Seifer win!"

"He can't win without his teammates at his side," Axel decided to comment; he folded his arms.

"Yeah, Anthony's right!" Roxas exclaimed; he was filled with a sudden boost of enthusiasm for the idea.

"Axel," the red-head quickly corrected.

"Whatever, Amzel," Roxas replied casually. Axel frowned and glared holes in the back of Roxas's blonde, spiky head.

"Alright," Tidus gave in with a wave of his hand. The boys took a seat on the dirt in front of the maze entrance to wait for the girls. Zack and Setzer happened to pass by them; they dared to point and laugh as they passed by. Tidus rolled his eyes at their childish antics. Hayner finally managed to catch up; he stared at them quizzically.

"What are you guys waiting for?" Hayner dared to ask; he was almost scared of the answer. He was pretty sure they weren't waiting around for him.

"The girls," Sora replied quietly.

"Oh, well see you around," Hayner replied. He quickly ran past them with Wakka on his heels. The orange haired boy grinned as he past them. Rikku and Paine passed them. Rikku wanted to stay and chat, but Paine hurriedly dragged her inside the maze before she could say anything. Tifa's team passed them; only Yuna dared to give them a friendly wave. Riku passed with an arched eyebrow and a couple of minutes later Yuffie and Garnet ran by. Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, and Olette finally arrived at the entrance. Their arms were still linked and they all had shocked faces.

"What are you guys sitting around for?" Olette asked, "Why aren't you running like everyone else?"

"We decided to wait for you," Roxas explained. His enthusiasm was gone.

"How sweet," Naminé commented. She blushed as she watched Roxas wipe the sweat from his forehead. Selphie giggled and nudged Naminé suggestively, which made her turn even redder. Roxas was oblivious to this and only scratched his head; he thought perhaps she needed some water.

"Well, let's go," Kairi cheered happily.

"Ladies first," Tidus announced graciously. He winked toward Selphie as she passed by and Selphie blew him a kiss. Tidus happily pretended to catch it and was enjoying the moment before Axel slapped the back of his head.

"Ow," Tidus groaned as he rubbed his head. Selphie giggled and followed the others girls into the maze. Once inside, they linked hands again and stood in front of the four boys. They thought it might be more fun if they all went inside together.

* * *

Tifa's team was lost. They had no idea where they were in the maze. Fuu folded her arms and hovered next to Yuna cautiously. Yuna was mesmerized by Tifa's repetitively head-banging against a bush. Rinoa was behind the three girls deep in thought, but she wasn't thinking what Yuna believed she was thinking about. Yuna thought perhaps she might be thinking of ways to get out of the maze, but Rinoa was actually thinking about ways to talk to Leon. Rinoa happily giggled at the thought. The fact that she was lost didn't seem to bug her at all.

* * *

Rikku and Paine found themselves in yet another dead end. The blonde girl whined and started to shout her complaints. Paine wasn't listening though; through Rikku's shouts she heard footsteps approaching the spot they were in. Paine quickly covered Rikku's mouth. Rikku eyed Paine wondering what she was doing. Paine and Rikku peered around the corner and saw Seifer pass by.

"We're going to follow him," Paine whispered before she yanked Rikku from around the corner. The two girls quietly began to follow Seifer through the maze hoping he wasn't as lost as they were.

* * *

At the finish line, the team captains were waiting for their members. Beatrix and Zell were fighting over whose team was better. Leon was standing on the left side of the line in silence; he appeared to be deep in thought. Quistis was drawing pictures on the ground with a sharp rock she found; she had no other way to entertain herself. Cloud was standing in the center staring at the sky as if searching for something. Aerith was neatly seated on the ground enjoying the weather.

Aerith looked up. She smiled warmly when she saw caught a glance of Cloud's thought expression as he stared toward the sky. _'He always seems to space out now and then, but I guess it's good to think things over,'_ she thought as she stood up. She walked over to Cloud and tapped him on his shoulder snapping him out of his daze.

"What were you thinking about?" Aerith dared to ask.

"Nothing," Cloud grunted.

"Cloud, I know you well enough to know it's never nothing. Something is bothering you," Aerith commented wisely.

Cloud opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped when he saw Seifer followed by Rikku and Paine cross the finish line. He only glared at the three.

"You were supposed to finish with your teammates," Leon lectured after an hour of complete silence.

"They were slowing me down," Seifer boasted as he smirked at Leon.

"We got separated in the maze," Rikku explained in her and Paine's defense. Leon let the girls get away with it and told them to wait for their other teammates by Quistis. He had a long talk planned for his team.

Tifa's team was next to finish and they earned the team point as first team to successfully finish together. Zack and Setzer crossed the finish line. They high-fived each other and then turned toward the exit of the maze. They spotted Pence and Vivi running toward the finish line.

"Look, there they are!" Pence announced as he and Vivi continued to run.

"You still didn't finish together," Cloud muttered disappointedly. Beatrix smirked at Cloud and gave her team members high-fives. She felt they deserved the congratulations for finishing first and all together. She stuck her tongue out at Zell making him grumble curses.

Next to finish was Riku, who was still followed by Garnet and Yuffie.

"Welcome back," Quistis said greeting the rest of her team. The two girls quickly joined Rikku and Paine with high-fives. Riku glared at Seifer; he still felt sour toward him. Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, and Olette crossed the finish line next followed by Sora, Roxas, Tidus, and Axel. Lastly, Hayner and Wakka finally crossed the finish line.

Cid popped, practically out of thin air, with his microphone in hand. "The gender point goes to the girls! And the team point rightfully belongs to Tifa, Yuna, Rinoa, and Fuu! Congratulations girls! And we all thought males were the dominant sex," Cid teased not realizing he had just insulted himself as well.

Aerith greeted her team happily. "I'm so glad to see you all came out alright," she said that warm smile still on her face.

"Of course, we're fine Aerith, the important thing is we're all together," Naminé replied with a smile of her own.

"Right!" Selphie agreed excitedly. Aerith smiled and glanced over at Cloud who was talking to his team quietly. Kairi nudged Olette who smirked in return as they watched Aerith watch Cloud.

"We have got to get them to date," Olette whispered happily.

* * *

_A/N: So what did you think? You should tell me in your review! I would like to thank all my reviewers! You guys are great now I name every person who reviewed!_

**_Kairi159, damaster123, Sora's Final Valor Form, dbtzfan2004, imjackie, Khkid1312020, ImortalBlueFlame, and AznSnoStuff!_**

_Thank you! You guys are wonderful! _

_By the way! Expect some fluff in the next one! I won't tell you who so you should probably just wait a couple of hours for the next chapter! I'm trying to at least get two done a day._


	13. Confusion and Some Romance

_A/N: We find ourselves at the twelfth chapter! How wonderful! Thanks again reviewers! I love you forever but not in the SoraxKairi way, that'd be kind of disgusting. Word is messing up! Stupid office assistant now I have to write it in notepad **-cries-**_

_Tifa: No one cares!_

_Sora and Kairi: Hey, what's that supposed to mean!_

_Riku: It means you guys are disgusting -snickers-_

_Me: No, it doesn't! Stop teasing them Riku!_

_Disclaimer: (Oh my gosh, it returns!) I do not own Kingdom Hearts_

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Confusion and Some Romance

"So, you understand what I'm saying, right?" Leon asked as he eyed his group; he was mainly concentrated on Seifer. The blonde reluctantly nodded as he glared at Leon. Leon smirked in response. "Now go, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow," he practically commanded.

Riku, Seifer, Wakka, and Hayner exited the meeting area and began their walk of shame toward the Boy's hallway. Once they were out of Leon's sight, the three boys cornered Seifer.

"You know that lecture was all your fault," Riku sneered. Seifer shrugged as if to say 'whatever' to Riku. Riku felt his blood boiling over. He didn't have enough patience to deal with Seifer's careless attitude. He felt the urge to strike, but the sweetest voice sounded from behind him and stopped him.

"Riku?"

Riku felt guilt strike him down. He turned around to face Yuffie. He couldn't help but wonder why her voice sounded so innocent and soothing all of a sudden. It never had before. He sighed and stepped away from Seifer who only smirked at his reaction.

"See you around, Riku," Seifer said tauntingly. He casually walked away from the fuming Riku. Hayner and Wakka looked to Riku and caught him staring at Yuffie who was also staring at Riku. The two boys took the hint and quickly waved goodbye. Riku didn't notice, though; he was still pondering Yuffie's sudden vocal change.

"What were you guys doing to Seifer?" Yuffie asked.

There it was again. That soothing voice, it was killing Riku. "Yuffie, why do you sound different!" Riku exclaimed. He could no longer deny his curiosity. Yuffie only laughed. Her laugh was enough to drive Riku insane. It sounded so sweet, like a chorus of cute choir girls when they hit the high note. "Why are you laughing?" Riku demanded.

"Riku, I've always sounded like this! What's wrong with you? I think that race went to your head. You should take a break," Yuffie joked with a sly smile.

"Right, what are you doing here anyway?" Riku asked deciding it was best to change the subject. Yuffie was never going to give him a straight answer anyway.

"I was headed to the game room, but then I saw you guys so I decided to see what was going on," Yuffie explained innocently.

"Oh," Riku muttered. His 'oh' sounded a little disappointed to Yuffie. She couldn't help but wonder.

"You sound disappointed. Were you expecting me to say: _Oh Riku!_ I came to see you and proclaim my love for you so we could go back to your room and-" Riku stopped her by placing his finger on her lips.

"Shut up," he groaned. Yuffie laughed again and turned around to leave.

"Right, well, see you around _old man_," she laughed. Yuffie was surprised she didn't hear any witty comeback from Riku; he didn't even grace her with a single defensive 'whatever'. "What's the matter with you?" she suddenly shouted. Yuffie turned around to yell some more, but ended up bumping into Riku's chest. She was pulled into a hug. "Wha?" she mumbled in confusion.

"Shut up, Yuffie," Riku commanded.

Yuffie was both silenced and shocked. She never expected to receive a hug so intimate from Riku. Especially since it appeared to have no perverted motive. _'The world really is coming to an end,' _she thought as she rested in his arms.

Riku gave her one last tight squeeze and then released her. Yuffie just stood there unable to say anything; she couldn't even mumble. "See you around," Riku whispered before he turned around and began to walk away. He casually waved goodbye. Yuffie continued to stand there flabbergasted as she watched his retreating figure disappear down the hallway. She finally let out a sigh.

"I'll never understand him," she thought out loud. She turned to go to the game room, but stopped when she remembered something. "Garnet!" she suddenly exclaimed. She quickly changed direction and hurried toward the Girl's hallway.

* * *

Garnet was seated on her snug, orange couch reading a J-Teen magazine while chewing on a piece of bubblegum. Music was pumping out of her stereo as she happily flipped the pages.

_Knock, Knock_

Garnet put down the magazine and slipped her feet into her white, fuzzy slippers. She turned down the music and hurried over to the door. She opened the door and smiled when she sawy who was standing on the other side. "Hey, Yuffie," she greeted happily.

"Garnet, it's time to fix up your hair!" Yuffie announced. Garnet nodded and opened the door wider to let Yuffie inside. "Okay, let's go into that bathroom and fix up your chopped up locks," Yuffie suggested. The girls scurried into the bathroom. Yuffie sat her black bag on the counter and took out a pair of scissors. "When I'm done with your hair it'll look great!" she exclaimed confidently.

* * *

In Selphie's room, the gang was hanging out without Riku. Riku had clearly stated he wasn't in the mood to hang out tonight. He said he'd rather be in his room thinking about things he refused to disclose.

Selphie and Tidus were seated on the couch. Selphie's headed was rested on Tidus's shoulder and Tidus was stroking her short, brown hair contently. Sora was leaning against the wall next to Selphie's bed where Kairi and Olette were seated. Naminé and Roxas were seated on the floor leaning against the edge of the couch for support. Hayner was quietly banging his head on the wall in the corner while Pence just watched him amusedly. Their newest member Axel, was sitting in another corner minding his own business.

Tidus grinned at Selphie who stared at him suspiciously. He happily began to tickle her and teasingly chanted, "Who's the cutest girl?"

Selphie laughed as she attempted to get away. "I am, of course!" Selphie declared through her laughs.

"This is making me sick," Hayner squawked as he continued to bang his head without fail. Olette and Kairi giggled as they watched Hayner injure himself.

"You're just jealous you can't do this with Olette," Tidus taunted as he stopped tickling Selphie. Hayner blushed. He quickly turned away from the corner and began to glare holes into Tidus's head.

"Calm down, Hayner," Pence advised in an attempt to hold Hayner back. Hayner grumbled and muttered profanities under his breath.

"We should all go for a late night walk," Naminé suggested as she attempted to hold back her laughter, "It would be fun."

"Yeah, that sounds great," Roxas agreed he quickly stood up and backed away from Pence and Hayner. He didn't want to be around when Pence lost his grip of Hayner's body.

"He just wants to land a smooch on Naminé when no one's looking," Sora teased as he watched the blondes quickly change from yellow to red. Kairi playfully punched Sora's arm shutting him up.

Olette smiled. "Well, let's go! The night awaits!" Olette cheered happily.

The group agreed and exited Selphie's room. They decided they would take a walk around the hotel's park. It was fairly large and resembled a forest because of all the trees. So, it had a degree of privacy, which was the point of Sora's teasing.

"Okay, we'll just meet back here at nine!" Selphie exclaimed as she happily grabbed Tidus with a seductive look on his face. The two ran off into the park leaving the others behind. Axel had decided not to join in. He decided Riku had the right idea; he was better off in his room.

Sora smirked. "I know what they're going to do," Sora announced in a sing-song voice. Kairi laughed as she watched Hayner and Olette depart. They were discussing something Olette had found on the internet. Roxas quickly glanced around before he bravely grabbed Naminé's hand and led her into the park. Pence left with his camera; he decided he would follow Olette and Hayner. He wanted to possibly take a picture of their intimate moment, should they have one. This left Kairi and Sora alone to themselves.

"I guess we should go together then," Kairi suggested with a small blush. Sora nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. The couple nervously, but steadily walked into the forest together.

* * *

Roxas and Naminé walked around the park hand-in-hand. They remained silent. Roxas couldn't help but blush the entire time, nor could he help but glance down at their hands every few seconds. Naminé was also blushing, but she looked the other way so Roxas wouldn't see.

"So," Roxas murmured in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Hmm?" Naminé answered in a daze.

"Have you enjoyed the competition so far?" Roxas decided to ask. He figured it was as good a place as any to begin.

"Yes, it's been very fun," Naminé replied with a small smile.

"That's good, I have too," he added quietly.

"What did you do before you came here?" Naminé asked curiously. She hadn't gotten a chance to ask Roxas anything about himself.

"I just went to school. Though, not to brag or anything, I was an excellent skateboarder," Roxas confessed proudly.

"Oh, I guess you were a skater boy then?" Naminé asked.

"Correct."

"Oh, I guess you could call me an artist then," Naminé added happily.

"Really, have you drawn anything new lately?" Roxas asked; he couldn't help but be curious about her art. He wondered what kinds of things she liked to draw, or if she even drew. There were so many forms of art. Roxas didn't even know where to begin.

Naminé fell silent. She didn't know how to answer that question. If she said no she would be lying, but she didn't want to say yes. Then she would probably have to admit she'd drawn a sketch of him. That would be too sudden. He might be scared of her and think she was a stalker. Still, it was her best chance at confessing her feelings. Naminé was too nervous to directly confess to him.

She looked at Roxas and took in a deep breath. "I drew a picture of you," she admitted.

"Really?" Roxas exclaimed excitedly, "I mean, cool." Roxas attempted to sound cool and unenthusiastic so he wouldn't scare her away with his zeal. "Why'd you draw a picture of me?" Roxas dared to ask.

"Because…I-well umm I-I really like you Roxas," Naminé confessed shyly.

Roxas was silenced. He didn't know what to say. He liked her a lot, really. He just never expected a girl like Naminé to like him in return. It was astonishing. A grin formed on his face. Without thinking, he pinned Naminé against a tree.

"Roxas?" Naminé uttered a little startled by the sudden movement. She wasn't scared, though. She trusted him.

"I really like you too," Roxas confessed. He smiled and gave her a small peck on the cheek. He quickly blushed and backed away for her. He felt ashamed for suddenly taking advantage of her, but he didn't know what to say to apologize. Naminé smiled and shook her head. She gently grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her. She pulled him into a hug and rested her head on his shoulder.

Roxas dared to put his arms around her slender form. He found it was easier than he had initially expected, not that he thought Naminé was fat. He gently shook his shoulder causing Naminé to lift her head. He gently brushed the blonde tress out of Naminé's face and stared into her beautiful eyes. Before he could grasp what was happening, he felt his face drifting closer to hers. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered violently as his forehead gently bumped hers. He'd never felt so faint and light-headed in a good way.

Naminé breathed in deeply to try to calm herself. She could feel his breath on her face. This was how she always imagined her first kiss. She felt his lips softly touch hers. Naminé closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She let go of her inhibitions and lost herself in the kiss.

His blush was bright as he kissed Naminé. He dared to pull away, but Naminé pulled him into another, deeper kiss. Roxas tightened his grip on her waist. He was touching an angel. Roxas felt as though he could fly; his sense of invincibility was so strong. He reluctantly pulled away from her.

He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "We should probably head back," Roxas suggested. Naminé agreed as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. She didn't want to leave, but she knew she had too.

She'd have to get used to the fact that this was only temporary. It was only going to last for a month or so and then it would be over. Naminé was killing herself with these negative, but true thoughts. The two blondes ambled back down the path as they tried to make their moment last a bit longer.

Only a few feet away, Hayner and Olette were privately making out, or so they thought. Behind a tree, Pence was fixing the focus of his trusty camera. He zoomed in on the couple making sure to capture their facial expressions. He quickly turned off the flash and took the picture. Hayner and Olette were so into each other they hadn't even heard the click of Pence's camera.

Pence smirked evilly and mimed an evil laugh. He quickly crept away from the spot and jogged toward the end of the park. He ended up bumping into Sora and Kairi on the way there. The two were in the middle of a conversation about which water tasted better when he ran into them.

"I got the picture," Pence exclaimed proudly as he waved his camera in front of them. Sora gave Pence a high-five and the three exited the forest. Naminé and Roxas were already waiting at the entrance. A few behind them on a bench, Tidus and Selphie were happily seated.

"Hey guys, I guess nothing romantic happened by the look of your faces," Selphie commented as she studied Sora and Kairi.

"Nope," Kairi replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice. No one seemed to notice, though.

* * *

"This is the new you!" Yuffie announced before she uncovered Garnet's eyes. She had instructed Garnet to keep her eyes closed throughout the entire 'procedure'. Yuffie wanted it to be a surprise. Garnet smiled as she admired her new look. Her dark brown hair was now a little above her shoulders and her bangs had been trimmed to match the length of her hair.

"Oh, thank you, Yuffie!" Garnet cried before she pulled the laughing Yuffie into a friendly hug, "Thank you so much for everything!"

"No problem," Yuffie replied with a wave of her hand.

Garnet's happy face disappeared. She now looked scared and sad. She turned to the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I love it, I just wonder what they'll think," she murmured in fear.

"Who?" Yuffie dared to ask. She didn't really know Garnet, but seeing her switch emotions so quickly was a bit alarming.

* * *

_A/N: Who is this 'they' that Garnet is talking about? Does Garnet have a haunting past that will destroy her future! Not really, I'm just trying to promote suspense. Still, don't we all wonder what's with Riku's sudden reaction to Yuffie? He was practically going crazy. Poor Riku being tormented. Oh well! Just kidding, we all love you Riku._

_Riku: Yeah, whatever!_

_**For those of you who might have stumbled upon this really recently! I'm in the process of editing it so if you see additional grammatical errors and what not. Keep in mind I'm working hard to fix them all. This is a really old piece of work done so many years ago. Naturally, it's not as great because I was so young when I wrote it. So, just bear with me. I'm working on it. **  
_


	14. Breakfast and Entertainment

_A/N: Word is working again after several hours of dedicated repair! I am pure genius!_

_Sora: **-coughs-** Right…of course you are_

_Me: Shut up, Sora_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and never will_

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Breakfast and Entertainment 

"Who?" Yuffie inquired as she watched Garnet frantically run her fingers through her hair.

"My parents," she stiffly replied.

"Your parents!" Yuffie exclaimed. She paused. She still didn't see what the big deal was.

"Yes, they want me to be a debutante. But I don't want to be one! I'd rather be adventurous instead of reserved like the lady my mother is! I want to be free! And I have a feeling this new hairstyle is getting me one step closer to it, freedom," Garnet explained happily.

Yuffie smiled. _'It's nice to have dreams like that, maybe she can make her parents understand her,' _she thought hopefully. "So, what exactly do you want to be?" Yuffie asked out of pure curiosity.

"I would like to be an author," Garnet replied dreamily.

"Cool. What topics do you like to write on?"

"Mostly fiction. Here, I'll show you the novel I'm currently working on!" she exclaimed happily.

Garnet grabbed Yuffie's hand just as Yuffie grabbed her black bag. Garnet led her back into her main room and toward her suitcase. Garnet unzipped a compartment in the front and pulled out several notebooks and some loose-leaf papers. She sat on the floor next to them and motioned for Yuffie to sit down on the ground next to her. Yuffie did so and Garnet handed Yuffie a yellow spiral notebook. Yuffie eyed it curiously

"This is the first part," Garnet explained.

"Okay."

Yuffie opened the spiral and saw the title page. The title was 'The Writings of a Confined Teen.' She noticed that author's name was Dagger Alexandros. "Hey, who's Dagger?" Yuffie asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"That's me. It's my pen name that my close friend, Zidane, gave to me," Garnet explained happily. She seemed to light up when she spoke about this, Zidane. But Yuffie decided to leave it alone.

"Oh, that's nice," Yuffie casually replied.

Yuffie began to read Garnet's story and was instantly sucked in. Hours passed by and Yuffie was still sitting on the floor in Garnet's room reading. Garnet occasionally glanced and smiled at Yuffie while she wrote more for her novel. She was filled with joy. She finally had another friend that understood her.

Midnight came all too soon for Yuffie. She stood up and put the notebook down. "Tomorrow I can read some more right?" she asked hopefully. Garnet nodded and picked up the notebook. She handed it back to Yuffie.

"You can return it to me when you're done," Garnet instructed happily. Yuffie smiled and gave Garnet a hug.

"See you tomorrow," she quickly said. Yuffie left the room as Garnet waved a goodbye. Yuffie walked to her room with her nose still in the notebook.

"What are you reading?"

"Just Garnet's story," she quickly replied.

"Can I see?"

Yuffie turned around to see a certain albino-haired teen. "Sure, I guess," she muttered. Riku took the notebook from Yuffie and quickly began to skim through the pages. He only paused to read things that caught his attention.

"She's a great author," he complimented.

"Yeah, that much is obvious. She said that's what she wants to do for a career," Yuffie explained.

"Under the pen name of Dagger?" Riku questioned.

"Yep." Riku handed the notebook back to Yuffie. Yuffie attached the notebook to her belt so she wouldn't lose it. She looked up and fell into Riku's stare. She couldn't help but think the way his eyes shined in the gentle moonlight was so mesmerizing. She couldn't look away.

Yuffie quickly shook herself out of the daze and looked toward the ground. She could still feel Riku's eyes on her. She sighed and dared to look up at him again; this time with anger in her eyes. "Is there something wrong?" Yuffie demanded.

Riku acted quickly before she had the chance to get away. He forcefully grabbed Yuffie's shoulders and chastely pecked her on the lips. Before she could even respond, he quickly retreated down the hallway. He left Yuffie feeling both furious and surprised. She knew better than to shout out in the hallway at night, so she decided she'd get him tomorrow.

She went into her room and locked the door behind her. She knew she needed her rest if she was going to do well in tomorrow's competition.

* * *

Rays of sunlight slipped through Sora's window. He heard a sweet whisper in his ear that said, _'Morning, Starshine.'_ Sora rolled over and managed to grumble about how it was only two o'clock in the morning. He was swiftly knocked to the ground and greeted by the sounds of giggles. He opened his eyes and saw Kairi standing over him. He yelped and backed up into the side of his bed hitting his head on the metal.

"Are you okay?" Kairi asked as she bent down to check Sora's head.

"I'm fine, why'd you do that!" Sora demanded.

"Because! I've been trying to wake you up for an hour now. And if you don't hurry, you're going to be late for breakfast starshine," Kairi explained happily. Sora blushed; he didn't know if he should like or dislike his new nickname.

"Oh, thanks," Sora muttered. He stood up and lazily walked into the bathroom closing the door behind him. Kairi smiled and sauntered over to his suitcase. She began through rummage through it in an attempt to pick out some clothes for Sora to wear. She didn't really fancy his taste in clothing or his attempt at color coordination. She thought he could use some help.

Sora exited the bathroom to see Kairi holding up a pair of his boxers. "This is so _cute_! Their Spongebob!" Kairi squealed happily. She smiled at him. Sora's face reddened. He quickly snatched the boxers away from Kairi. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop her laughter. She managed to hand him the clothes she'd picked out while she laughed.

"Wha?" Sora mumbled in disbelief.

"Go get changed," she ordered. Sora's face turned a deeper shade of red; regardless of his embarrassment, he scurried into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Kairi took a seat on his red couch and waited for him to come back out.

A few minutes later, Sora came out the bathroom wearing his only pair of black slacks. He was also dressed in a red polo shirt with a couple of buttons at the collar. "Kairi!" he exclaimed with a face as red as a tomato.

"You don't like it?" Kairi asked with concern.

"It looks so…so!" Sora couldn't even get the words out. Kairi laughed and grabbed his arm.

"Let's go eat breakfast," she suggested happily.

In the cafeteria, the rest of the group was already seated and eating breakfast. Sora attempted to hide behind Kairi as they approached their friends. "Hey, guys," Kairi greeted as she took a seat next to Axel. Sora sat next to Kairi and attempted to slouch in his chair so no one could see what he was wearing.

"Hey, Kairi, Hey, Sora!" Hayner greeted. He paused and then pointed to Sora's shirt and exclaimed, "What are you _wearing_?" Sora blushed and sunk further into his seat.

Roxas burst into laughter. "You look like a girl dressed you!" he cried as though it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

"Actually, a girl... did dress me," Sora muttered as he laid his head on the table and covered it with his arms. The boys howled in laughter as they watched Sora pathetically shrink into himself. Kairi only smiled and ran her fingers through the ashamed brunette's hair.

"Sora, it's okay," she cooed softly.

"What's wrong with it? He looks great," Selphie murmured in confusion. She looked to Tidus for answers, but he was too busy trying to stop his own laughter.

"You see, there's this code among us men about clothing," Tidus attempted to explain.

"Oh."

Olette punched Hayner's arm. "Stop being mean!" she exclaimed.

"Fine," he grunted as he rubbed his injured arm. "We'll stop…_for now_," he joked. Sora lifted his head from the table and sighed. Kairi smiled at him and removed her hand from his spiky hair.

"They're just mad they can't have this," Kairi began happily. Sora opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Kairi's lips. He blushed as he stared at her in awe. She pulled away and smiled. Everyone fell silent; they watched her as she began to eat her breakfast. They were all shocked at her behavior, especially Selphie. It was unlike Kairi to be so bold.

"Kairi!"

"What?"

Selphie grinned and gave Kairi a high-five. The girls laughed and returned to eating their food. The boys, on the other hand, were still completely and utterly shocked. Sora couldn't stop blushing.

"Hey, good morning!" Cid shouted causing another horrible screeching noise to emit from the speakers. "Today's competition will be in here! It's an eating contest! So get into your teams!" he declared.

The teens scattered into their teams. After much confusion, the teams were all assembled and Cid began talking again. "Okay! One person from each team will come and sit at this table in front of me. Whoever lasts the longest in eating wins a point for their team!" he explained loudly.

Sora, Tidus, Roxas, and Axel looked at each other. "Who's going to go?" Roxas asked as he stared among his friends.

"Sora hasn't eaten anything yet he should go," Axel stated.

"Amzy's right!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Axel!" Axel growled.

The three pushed Sora toward the table before he could protest. Sora frowned at them but took his seat with no argument. He noticed that he was sitting next to Tifa. He sighed and felt something touching his foot. He looked at the ground and noticed that Tifa was attempting to play footsies with him. He blushed and quickly moved his foot away.

The competitors were assembled staring from the left; Tifa, Sora, Rikku, Selphie, Zack, and Riku.

"Okay, the thing that will be consumed today is our delectable and fluffy pancakes!" Cid announced proudly. Plates with two pancakes on them were placed in front of the competitors. "Go!" Cid shouted. The competitors quickly began stuffing their faces as if that was the last meal they would ever have. Especially Selphie, she was eating like a starving hog. Sora simply ate naturally, cutting and picking the pieces up with his fork; he didn't feel like acting like an animal. Rikku was eating like a dog; she didn't even bother to use her utensils. Riku picked up the entire pancake with his fork and started to bite off of it. Zack grabbed pieces of his pancakes and put them in his mouth swallowing them whole. Tifa picked up the pancake with her hands and started to bite off it like it was an ordinary piece of bread.

Naminé and Olette were held up a sign that read 'Go Selphie' that they had managed to make with napkins. Kairi was simply cheering. Tidus watched in horror was his girlfriend ate. He couldn't help but wonder how she would act if she was ever starved. Still, he couldn't help but be crazy about her.

After four or five pancakes, Zack backed out of the race. He was afraid he might get fat if he continued eating too many starches. After Tifa's seventh pancake, she also stopped; she couldn't eat another bite. Riku stopped at his sixth. That left the last three competitors, Sora, Selphie, and Rikku. They were moved to another table.

"Okay, on this table you will be served hash browns!" Cid announced.

Rikku squealed in delight. "I love hash browns!" she screamed forcing Cid to cover his ears.

"Okay little girl, calm down now." Cid attempted to soothe her. He slowly backed away from the table. Plates of hash browns were served to the three. "Go!" he nervously cried.

Sora still continued to eat like a normal human being. On both sides of him, Selphie and Rikku were stuffing their faces. He was actually beginning to fear the two girls; they were acting like monsters, _hash brown _monsters.

After Sora's fifth plate, he began to feel dizzy. He put down his fork and held his head.

"Come on, Sora! Keep eating!" Roxas shouted; he hadn't noticed Sora's pale face.

Vivi put his hand over Roxas's mouth. "He doesn't look too good, I think he should stop. Really, he's turning pale," Vivi explained. Roxas and his other teammates noticed this and started shouting for Sora to stop. Sora jumped out of the seat and ran to the nearest bathroom with his teammates right behind him.

Rikku and Selphie eyed each other and smiled. They high-fived each other before they continued eating. Cid watched in amazement. He couldn't believe how much a teenage girl could eat. It was slightly scaring him, but he was amused nonetheless.

Cloud and Aerith eyed each other. Both had worried expressions. "I think Cid's pushing them too far," Aerith said as she watched Cloud's face. He nodded and approached Cid; he whispered something into his ear.

"Due to some conversations between leaders, I declare that both Quistis's and Aerith's team winners! One point for each team!" Cid announced suddenly. Rikku and Selphie hugged each other. They jumped from their chairs and tumbled onto the ground.

"We won!" they squealed even though they were injured and on the ground. Kairi laughed and hurried over to help the girls up. Cid and the other leaders quietly left the room leaving the teenagers to their own devices.

* * *

In the leader's meeting area, there was an important conversation going on.

"Cid, you shouldn't push the kids like that!" Aerith exclaimed as she frowned at the blonde man. Cid still had his microphone in hand, which upset Aerith further.

"No one got hurt!" Cid cried; he was still talking into the microphone. Another screeching sound thundered from the mechanical device. The leaders covered their ears and grumbled angrily.

"You know, you can turn that thing off!" Beatrix exclaimed as she glared holes into Cid's face. Cid shrugged and turned off the microphone. He gently placed it down on the floor.

"The brunette boy is sick with food poisoning," Leon announced; he didn't even bother to lift his head from the ground. A silence fell over the room. None of the leaders knew what to say in response to Leon's comment. "He should see a doctor," Leon added.

"He'll be fine!" Cid assured. _'Besides I don't want to pay the doctor bills,'_ Cid thought with a slight frown.

"If his condition gets worse it will be your fault," Aerith announced as she stood up, "Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting to attend with my team." With that said, the brunette woman left and closed the door behind her.

Leon took his attention off the ground. "I'm leaving to, I've got some serious training to do," he muttered. The brunette man left leaving only four leaders with Cid.

"Well, if his condition does worsen, that would be one already taken care of."

* * *

_A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I've gotten back to you all like I promised I would! I happily reached my goal of twenty reviews and now I'm striving for twenty-five. Yes, I know I have very low hopes, but I can't put them too high, you know! _

_Now, if you could find it in your heart, deep down inside somewhere in that beating, blood red thing to review!_


	15. Because of Sora

_A/N: Okay! It's eleven at night, I think I'll type up a chapter!_

_Sora: She's crazy!_

_Kairi: No, not really. Usually she'd be reading fan- fiction right now_

_Sora: Oh, yeah_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts but I do own this computer! That I am typing into._

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Because of Sora 

"I wonder if he'll be able to compete," Tidus said as he watched Sora toss and turn in his bed while gripping his stomach in pain.

"In his condition, I'd say the odds are zero to none," Axel replied as he leaned against the wall.

"Stop being so negative, Akeel," Roxas scoffed, "He'll be better than ever tomorrow!" A bright smile formed on his face as the word 'tomorrow' escaped his lips.

"It's Axel! A-X-E-L! Got it memorized?" Axel screamed in frustration.

"Okay, you don't have to yell, Adele. You'll wake Sora up," Roxas lectured in a matter of fact tone. Axel growled and banged his head on the wall. It was beyond him how Roxas could continually mess up his name. How did he even get Adele from Axel?

_Knock, Knock_

Tidus opened the door to see Hayner, Riku, Pence, and Vivi standing in the hallway. "Hey, guys. Come on in, I'm sure Sora wouldn't mind," Tidus announced as he opened the door wider.

"Swell plan, just invite people into another person's room. Might as well throw a party," Hayner muttered sarcastically as he plopped down onto Sora's red couch.

"Yeah, I'm doing that later," Tidus replied.

"That's pretty good sarcasm," Hayner replied. He couldn't help but be a little impressed. The look on Tidus's face was so serious. He didn't know he had it in him.

"…No, I'm serious…" Tidus insisted.

"Yeah, whatever Tidus. Now you've just annoyed me," Hayner said with a wave of his hand.

"Seriously, I'm-."

"So, when are the girls coming?" Riku asked as he took his place on the wall next to Axel. He purposely interrupted Tidus. He could already tell his conversation with Hayner was going no where fast.

Roxas glanced at his wrist watch. "They said they would be here five minutes ago, I wonder what's holding them up," he murmured thoughtfully.

* * *

_Thud_. Kairi was slammed onto the ground.

"Kairi!" Selphie exclaimed worriedly. She hurried over to Kairi to make sure she was all right. Naminé and Olette remained where they were standing; they didn't want Tifa to go after them too. "Are you alright?" Selphie asked as she checked the girl's limbs.

"I'm fine," Kairi muttered her response. Selphie let out a sigh of relief. She glared toward Tifa who was busy cracking her knuckles. "What do you want, Tifa? Haven't you already had your fun and games?" Kairi spat. Tifa smirked maliciously striking fear into the hearts of Kairi and Selphie. They couldn't help but cringe.

She began to laugh and gave Kairi a look that clearly said something along the lines of, _'You clueless imbecile'_. Kairi backed away from Tifa still on the ground. She was too distracted by the fearsome gleam in Tifa's chocolate brown eyes; she was almost afraid to move. She remembered what happened last time she tried to run away. Kairi shuddered at the thought. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanted to warn you and give you a small appetizer of what to expect if you don't keep away from Sora," Tifa explained impatiently.

"Sora? What does this have to do with him?" Kairi asked with a slight frown.

"He's mine, so back off or else," Tifa warned.

"Or else what?" Kairi dared to ask. She immediately regretted asking. Tifa snatched Naminé away from Olette. The blonde squirmed underneath Tifa's tight grip.

"This," Tifa answered. Tifa grabbed Naminé's wrist and slowly twisted it in a way it wasn't made to turn. Naminé cried out in pain, but didn't dare pull away; she didn't want a broken wrist. After a few seconds of torture, she released Naminé's wrist and pushed her to the ground. Olette gasped and hurried over to the crying blonde. "So, back off unless you want something worse to happen to her and all your other friends," Tifa spat. She smirked and turned around. "Let's go," she muttered as she began to walk away.

Yuffie stared at the four girls with a frown on her face. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to help, but she knew that they wouldn't want her too. Tifa noticed that Yuffie wasn't following her. "Yuffie!" she called angrily.

"C-Coming," Yuffie stammered. Yuffie reluctantly backed away and ran to catch up with Tifa.

Kairi stood up once they were out of sight. She hurried over to Naminé who was still holding her injured wrist. "Naminé, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," Kairi whispered guiltily. Naminé shook her head and smiled weakly. Kairi still didn't feel any better.

Yuna, who had been watching the entire scene, decided to finally come out of hiding. She walked over to Naminé. "Here, let me see your wrist," Yuna instructed. Naminé hesitantly held it out toward Yuna. She examined it for a while and then announced, "It's just bruised. There's nothing to worry about."

"That's a relief! But when I see that Tifa again, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind! First, I'm going to slap her and then I'm going to tackle her to the ground and beat her up!" Selphie shouted in her high-pitched angry voice. Olette couldn't help but laugh at the way she sounded.

Yuna chuckled. "Well, see you around," she quickly said. Yuna quickly retreated to her room in the hallway. The girl's could hear the high-pitched wail of Rikku when she opened the door.

"Come on, the boys are probably wondering where we disappeared to. But remember, not a word of this is to be spoken," Kairi quietly instructed as she and Olette helped Naminé to her feet. Selphie opened her mouth to reject Kairi's request, but shut it figuring she shouldn't question her friend's ways.

"We'll just say I fell down the stairs," Naminé suggested. She gently ran her fingers over her wrist and winced. The girls agreed. Selphie picked up the first-aid kit from her room and they began their walk to the Boy's hallway.

* * *

Yuffie finally caught up to Tifa. The menacing brunette hadn't bothered to slow down for Yuffie. "Are you sure you should have done that to Naminé?" Yuffie asked. Even if they weren't friends anymore, she still felt worried.

"It's just a sampler, nothing too drastic was done to that blonde," Tifa explained, "If you want something done and obeyed correctly, you always have to show you mean it. Now we can hurt Kairi's friends and steal her boyfriend."

"R-Right," Yuffie reluctantly agreed. She was beginning to feel remorseful. She didn't think Tifa's revenge would go this far. She didn't want to hurt Kairi; it didn't seem like the right thing to do anymore. After all, she still wanted to be Kairi's friend. But she was already too far in, she couldn't back out now.

"Hey, where have you been for the past few nights anyway?" Tifa asked.

"Oh, well the first night I actually planned on going to the game room, but I ran into… _someone_. The second night I fixed up Garnet's hair, and we had a chat. I also ran into that _person _again…which reminds me, I have to go see that…_person_, so bye!" Yuffie exclaimed before she quickly turned around and ran the other direction. She knew Tifa would have questions. Before she could even get around the corner, Tifa grabbed her by the collar and gave her a nasty look.

"Who is this person you speak of?" Tifa demanded.

"Umm…" Yuffie murmured nervously. _'Should I tell her I've been talking to Riku? She might get angry with me,' _she thought. She stared at Tifa's face; she was already angry. Yuffie took in a deep breath and then confessed, "I've been talking to Riku."

"Albino boy? Hmm, interesting. Maybe we can use this to our advantage. Go ahead go talk to him," Tifa agreed as she released Yuffie's collar.

"Are you serious?" Yuffie asked in disbelief. That was not the answer she was expected. She expected Tifa to yell at her for being stupid and associating with people who associate with Kairi.

"Of course, seduce him and get me more information about Kairi and Sora," Tifa commanded as though the answer had been obvious from the start.

"Okay." Yuffie didn't even hear what she was agreeing too. She was too concentrated on how she was going to punish Riku for kissing her like that. That wasn't just any kiss, no, that was her first kiss that he'd taken without permission.

Yuffie ran down the hallway fueled by her anger. _'He's probably in Sora's room, but I can't go in there!'_

* * *

"So, Naminé fell down the stairs and you guys forgot the first-aid kit and had to go back twice?" Riku questioned; he raised his eyebrow suspiciously. Their story didn't make sense to him. He was pretty sure if she had fallen down the stairs she would have more bandages.

"Yeah," Kairi lied. She didn't even bother making eye contact with him. She knew Riku could easily see through a lie.

Riku was about to question Kairi again when they all heard a painful moan come from Sora. Everyone's head instantly jerked in his direction. Sora rubbed his head and groaned; he opened his foggy, blue eyes. He lazily looked around the room blinking his eyes several times. He stared at all of his friends that somehow had gathered in his room.

"What's up?" he asked through a yawn. He sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes.

"What's up? What's up! Is that all you can ask after we waited here for hours after you fell unconscious in that stinky bathroom! We even carried you up the stairs for god's sake! And all you say is what's up? Sora, I'm going to rip out your spikes and sell them to a wig store!" Hayner shouted. He jumped off of the couch and ran for the sleepy brunette who hadn't heard a single word of his threats.

"Hayner!" Olette cried fearfully. She reached out to grab his arm, but she missed.

Hayner jumped into Sora's bed and began to vigorously shake the brunette. Sora woke up fully this time and instantly began to scream as Hayner relentlessly shook him.

"Hayner, stop!" Sora cried. Everyone laughed as they watched the one-sided fight. Kairi seized opportunity to slip away from Riku. She joined Tidus and Selphie and continued to watch the show.

_Knock, Knock_

Hayner ceased his shaking. He looked around the room and saw that everyone was already inside. "Wonder who that could be," he muttered before he hopped off of the bed.

"Come in!" Sora shouted.

"I'd rather not."

Kairi's happy expression instantly darkened. She knew who it was. Besides Selphie and Riku, everyone else was blind to who was on the other side of the door. "What do you want, Yuffie!" Kairi shouted angrily.

"C-Could I please talk to Riku?"

All eyes darted toward Riku who seemed to be cool with it. He shrugged and walked toward the door. He quickly opened and closed it before anyone could see Yuffie awkwardly standing outside.

"Wonder what Yuffie wants with Riku," Roxas muttered as he scratched his head in confusion.

"I don't know, but we should listen," Tidus suggested. Everyone agreed and piled up next to the door. There were too many people for them all to be able to put their ear to the door.

_Slap_

There was quite a bit of yelling going on outside the door. Selphie shook in fear as she listened to Yuffie unleash her anger on the unsuspecting Riku. They heard Riku attempting to explain something, but Yuffie kept screaming at him. Then it was silent. For a long while, it was quiet. They were beginning to think Yuffie had killed him until they heard someone approach the door.

Everyone scattered and went back to the spots they had been in before. They attempted to pretend as though they hadn't been listening or cared that he was talking to her. Riku entered the room with a smug look on his face.

"So, what happened with Yuffie?" Sora asked; he acted as though he had been playing with his blanket the entire time.

"Well, if you must know…" Riku began with a sly smirk on his face. Everyone leaned in to eagerly listen to his story.

* * *

_Riku shut the door behind him. He stared at the furious, but red-faced Yuffie. "What's up Yuff?" Riku casually asked. _

_"Don't call me that," Yuffie growled. _

_Riku sighed and rolled his eyes._ _"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked. There was no point in arguing a nickname with her. _

_"You act like it never happened!" Yuffie suddenly screamed. _

_"Like what never happened?" Riku asked coyly. He'd never admit he was enjoying this. Yuffie unexpectedly slapped Riku across his face. There was a red handprint on his right cheek. _

_"Ow, Yuffie! What was that for!" Riku cried as he rubbed his face. _

_"You! You sole my first kiss! What's wrong with you? You can't just kiss a girl like that!" Yuffie continued to scream, "What kind of person does that? You didn't even ask me! How dare you?" _

_"Yuffie, I-."_

_"Don't Yuffie me, you pathetic person! I have dignity that's been stripped away from me! You're so mean!" she indignantly shouted. _

_"Listen, I'm-."_

_"No apology will ever make me feel better! You're just the worst kind of person!" she accused. Yuffie shakily sighed as she attempted to hold back the tears that were beginning to trail down her cheeks. She glared at him as she attempted to calm herself down. Riku pulled the hurt girl into a hug. She didn't resist; she was too blinded by her anger and sadness to do anything. _

_"I didn't realize you would be so hurt," he whispered as he gently stroked strands of her ebony hair. _

_"Well, you realized wrong," Yuffie grumbled. _

_Riku chuckled, "That's a new one."_

_"Shut up," she breathed. She sighed and pulled away from him. _

_Yuffie hadn't realized that Riku was creeping closer and closer to her. She didn't notice it until Riku already had his lips against hers. Yuffie's eyes widened as she stared at his eyelids. How could he do it again, after she had just finished yelling at him. Regardless of her wishes for resistance, she weakened to his kiss and returned it. _

_She felt an overwhelming amount of pressure build up inside of her. Riku snaked his tongue inside of her mouth. She closed her eyes allowing herself to finally enjoy their kiss. Then it was over, all too soon. Riku quickly released her and smirked. Yuffie stared at him with shocked eyes._

_"See you around," he casually whispered. He turned away from her and slipped back into Sora's room as though nothing had happened. _

* * *

"And that's what happened," Riku finished proudly.

"You kissed her! You're crazy!" Hayner exclaimed.

"Well, she is pretty," Riku commented coolly.

"That sickens me, man," Roxas muttered as he closed his eyes and tried to erase the mental images from his mind.

"Don't be jealous," Riku teased pompously.

"Trust me, we're everything but jealous!" Sora exclaimed.

"So you're envious?" Riku suggested.

Sora paused. He looked to the guys. "Are we envious? Cause we're not jealous…so that's like the opposite, right?" he asked curiously.

"They mean the same thing!" Tidus shouted.

"Whatever," Riku muttered.

* * *

_A/N: It seems like Riku's seducing Yuffie instead of Yuffie seducing Riku. Though, in a sense, it kind of is both ways. How interesting. Poor Naminé, now she has a bruise on her wrist. Oh, I might be out for a while. I'm getting a new Internet service so I might not be on for the next week. So, I'll just be typing chapters and not uploading them! So, when I do get the new service there should be plenty of updates for you all to enjoy._

_Olette: Unless she gets lazy_

_Me: Be quiet!_


	16. Dates

_A/N: Chapter Fifteen, yes! That's like five chapters until twenty, oh no! Why I say 'oh no' is unknown to me. _

_Sora: Hah, I'm older than fourteen_

_Riku: You sure don't act like it._

_Sora: Hey!_

_Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is something I do not own._

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Dates

"Okay, my room is going to be our meeting place now," Aerith explained as she stared at her team members; Kairi, Naminé, Olette, and Selphie.

"Cool, but your room should have been yellow," Selphie commented absently mindedly. Aerith lightly laughed as she looked around her room. It was mostly pink with a little bit of white here and there.

"I like it," Kairi complimented; she knew it would get Selphie worked up, but she said it anyway. Selphie had ranted on before how yellow was the best color ever simply because the sun was yellow. Then, she would start ranting about how the sun symbolized summer and how her favorite season was summer. She really loved the color yellow.

Selphie opened her mouth to oppose just as Kairi predicted. Kairi quickly covered Selphie's mouth. "Continue, Aerith," she quickly said before Selphie got the chance to break free.

"Anyway, we need to start planning our strategy. Cid has declared that the girls and boys are to only see each other at the competitions," Aerith explained, "And I know you guys have already befriended some of the boys and would like to see them on a daily basis. So, I'm creating a plan that will allow you to see them secretly."

"You're awesome, Aerith!" Olette exclaimed happily. She couldn't imagine not seeing the boys on a daily basis.

The rest of the meeting was concentrated on the secret plan that Aerith had concocted. It was flawless, unless of course, Cid caught them. But everyone knew that Cid was lazy and hardly walked around the hotel, or even ventured outside of it. He was one of the laziest, lazy bums they'd ever encountered.

An hour later, the girls left Aerith's room and headed for Selphie's. They had some things to chat about that Aerith didn't need to know. Aerith smiled and closed the door behind them. She laid down on her couch and rested her eyes. She felt herself beginning to drift off. Everything was quiet and peaceful. She could hear the sweet sounds of the birds chirping outside her window.

"Aerith."

Aerith's eyes fluttered open and she was surprised to see Cloud standing in front of her. She was slightly annoyed that Cloud didn't knock before entering, but she decided to let it go. Cloud would only intrude if it was important.

"Cloud? What is it?" Aerith asked curiously; she hardly ever got visits from him.

"I'm being forced to take you out," Cloud muttered. Aerith raised an eyebrow. Forced to take her out? Why couldn't he just say he wanted to take her out like any normal person? That was Cloud though, he always told the truth, to Aerith anyway.

She sighed and lifted herself from the couch. "Okay, I'll go get ready and meet you in the meeting area downstairs," she agreed. Cloud nodded and left the room. Aerith didn't even catch the light blush on his face.

She quickly freshened up and grabbed her red jacket and purse. She took one more look in the mirror before she left her room to meet Cloud. _'I hope he isn't going to be too bored,' _she thought as she left her room.

* * *

"So, we're not allowed to see the girls anymore?" Vivi asked as he sat on Hayner's comfy, green couch.

"Yep," Axel replied.

"Doesn't that tick you off?" Hayner shouted furiously.

"Cool down, tiger. I'm sure Olette doesn't miss you that much," Riku joked. Hayner exploded into profanities. Roxas covered Vivi's ears as he watched Hayner shout his curse words.

Sora sighed, "I had a date with Kairi too, man." Everyone's attention darted toward Sora.

"A date!" The boys exclaimed in surprise. Hayner quickly stopped cursing and the boys circled around Sora. Sora nodded his head slowly as he watched the boys creep closer and closer to him. He had to admit, it was kind of freaking him out.

"Get him!" Tidus suddenly shouted. The boys leapt onto Sora and held him. They dragged the screaming brunette into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. Vivi stayed behind; he wasn't one to join mobs. He just put his head to the door and listened to what was going on inside.

"Get him where it hurts!" Tidus shouted.

"Okay!" Hayner cried almost too eagerly.

_Thud_

"Not that hard!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Hand me the razor, Alma!" Roxas cried bravely.

"It's Axel!" Axel growled.

"Just give him the razor!"

Vivi heard the sounds of a razor cutting hair. He also heard Sora's screams and pleas. He sighed. _'Okay, they're not torturing him that badly,' _he thought.

"Guys, stop!" Sora begged.

"No!"

Vivi heard Sora begin to cry and whine. He stumbled back; he wondered what they were doing to him in there. He was almost glad he didn't join in.

"Mascara?"

"No! Kairi will think he's gay!"

"What's wrong with you, Roxas?"

"Just thinking."

"He needs a sweater vest!"

"Yeah! That's a total chick magnet!"

"No! Not the sweater vest!" Sora cried in horror.

"You're wearing a sweater vest whether you like it or not!"

A few minutes later, the boys emerged from the bathroom. Sora trudged out of the bathroom; he sulked as though he had just lost his favorite toy. The small mustache he had been trying to grow had been shaved off. He was wearing a white flannel shirt under his red sweater vest with khaki pants. Sora frowned and glared at the boys who had dressed him.

"You look fine. Now come on, we're going to go sneak over to the girls hallway so you can pick up Kairi and leave for the night," Roxas explained as he grabbed Sora's arm. He dragged the brunette out of the room before Sora could protest. He managed to grab a jacket before he was yanked away.

Once they left, Hayner and Tidus fell on the floor laughing. "He looks like a total dope!" they cried as they rolled around on the floor.

* * *

Aerith and Cloud walked around the shopping department store. Cloud hadn't spoken to Aerith the entire time and she was beginning to wonder if he was angry with her. She grabbed his arm. "Cloud," she called.

"Aerith," he simply replied.

"Are you mad at me?" she questioned.

"No."

"Then what's wrong? You haven't spoken to me at all since the hotel," she asked with a slight frown.

"I-I'm just nervous," Cloud confessed. He hated that he had to say the words.

"Nervous? About what?" Aerith asked blindly.

"You, you make me nervous," Cloud attempted to explain. Aerith was silent. She didn't know how to respond to that. Did he mean that in a bad way or in a good way? Cloud stopped her from walking. He placed one of his arms around her waist. She blushed and stared toward the ground nervously. Now she understood what he meant. Cloud looked away and continued their walk with Aerith on his arm. They didn't say anything else.

That wasn't good enough for him, though. Cloud stopped her in front of a random clothing store. He looked at her through his cold, blue eyes. She smiled and returned his look with her lively, green eyes. Cloud leaned toward her then nervously paused. He quickly, sweetly kissed her on the lips and then fled. She tenderly touched her lips and smiled.

_'Cloud,' _she thought happily.

* * *

"So, are you ready for your date with Sora?" Selphie asked while she mindlessly flipped through a magazine.

"Yep," Kairi replied happily. Kairi chose to wear a knee-length, red sundress. She wore the same brown sandals and carried a brown purse to match with them. Selphie glanced up from her magazine and smiled.

Before she could comment on her outfit, Roxas and Sora suddenly burst into Kairi's room. Both girls screamed and fell to the floor. Roxas chuckled and helped Kairi to her feet. "Come on lovebirds, you two need to hurry up and go on your date," Roxas teased before he pushed the two into the hallway.

"Bye, Kairi!" Selphie exclaimed. Her exclamation was short; she quickly returned to her magazine. Roxas closed the door and waved goodbye to the two before he quickly escaped the Girl's hallway.

"Hey, Kairi," Sora said. He blushed both from his embarrassing outfit and the fact that Kairi looked gorgeous in her dress.

"Hi, Sora," she greeted; she smiled warmly. "Let's get going or we're going to miss the movie," she quietly suggested. They linked arms and began to walk down the hallway. They kept an eye open for anyone that might stop them.

* * *

Yuffie finally finished Garnet's yellow notebook. She put it down and squealed in delight, which was something she hadn't done in ages."I must know what happens!" she exclaimed excitedly. She slipped on a pair of slippers and grabbed the notebook. She ran out into the hallway and caught a glimpse of Sora and Kairi leaving through the fire escape.

She choked down her spit and looked the other way. She attempted to forget what she saw. She knew if she remembered, she would blurt it out around Tifa and hurt one of Kairi's friends. She didn't want to hurt anyone so, she began to bang her head on the wall hoping to forget the memory.

* * *

Sora and Kairi reached the movie theater just before the movie started. They would be seeing 'A lot like Love'. They took two seats toward the back of the theatre. Sora had always detested chick flicks, but he decided he could bear it for Kairi's sake. She was worth it, after all.

A half-hour passed by and Kairi was enjoying herself. Sora, on the other hand, was extremely bored. Kairi noticed that most of the people in the theatre were sitting toward the front; in a way, they were alone. Sora yawned and stretched his arms; she smiled and turned her attention back to the movie. She felt his arm snake around her shoulder. She blushed and turned her head to face Sora; he was already staring at her.

"Sora," she whispered delicately.

Sora frowned; he hoped he hadn't upset her. "What's wrong?" he asked; he leaned toward her so he could hear her better. She shook her head and happily laid it on his shoulder. He was happily surprised; he hadn't expected her to do that. He expected her to slap him or yell at him or something along those lines.

"Nothing's wrong, everything is perfect," he replied dreamily. Sora smiled and sweetly kissed her cheek.

After the movie, Sora treated Kairi to dinner. The sun had set already so he knew they had already missed dinner in the hotel. He took her to a restaurant called 'That Darn, Old Stalker'. Kairi thought it was a weird name for a restaurant, but decided against talking about it in front of the employees. They ordered their meals and were now waiting for their food.

"So," Kairi began.

"What's up, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Could I call you Sora-kun from now on?" Kairi requested sweetly. She batted her eyelashes and smiled at him.

"W-Why would you want to do that?" Sora asked as a blush spread across his face.

"I always thought it was a cute name," she explained.

"Okay, I guess you could," Sora agreed. He didn't mind having a nickname.

"Can I tell you something?" Kairi asked.

"Anything."

"I-I'm in-."

"Here's your dinner, enjoy!" the waitress announced cheerily. She placed their plates on the table and quickly excused herself. Kairi was halfway thankful to the waitress for coming at the time she did. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did you want to tell me?" Sora asked again.

"Nothing," Kairi quickly replied. She sighed and began to eat her food. It was a silent dinner, neither of them said a word. Sora was beginning to feel Kairi's uneasiness. He wondered what was making her so uneasy. Usually she would talk through her meals; he knew this for a fact. Now, she was completely silent. Maybe she wasn't having a good time?

After the two finished, Sora placed his munny on the table, along with a small tip for the waitress. The two left the oddly named restaurant. Once they were outside, Sora decided he would take Kairi to one more place before they went back to the hotel. He took Kairi by the hand and led her to a park bench. They sat down close to each other and stared at the glistening reflection of the moon on the fountain in front of them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," she whispered. Kairi sighed again and looked down at the ground. She inhaled deeply and then faced Sora. "Sora-kun?" she called cutely.

"What is it?" Sora asked. He'd have to get used to his new nickname.

"The thing is…I'm in love with you," Kairi confessed. She turned away and waited for his answer. She already dreaded it even though she had no idea what it was.

Sora grinned. He slipped grabbed Kairi's hand and held it tightly. "Why didn't you tell me before?" Sora asked.

"I meant to in the restaurant, but the waitress interrupted me, and I was nervous," Kairi explained.

"You shouldn't be, because I love you too and you already know I wouldn't hurt you, don't you?" Sora confessed with a smile.

"Of course I do," she answered happily. Kairi blushed as she admired their intertwined hands. She pulled away from his grasp and stood up. "We should head back, the others are probably wondering where we went and what not," she suggested.

"Right," Sora agreed.

They walked away from the park bench and happily chatted about tomorrow's competition. They heard a rumor about a race. It was supposed to be another gender versus gender competition.

The two hadn't even noticed the tranquilizer dart that would've hit Sora if he didn't move away from the bench in time. Instead, the dart landed on the ground. A man stepped out from behind the trees and picked up the dart with his gloved hands.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah! Cloud x Aerith goodness and some Sora x Kairi goodness. Isn't life nice? So yeah, someone tried to shoot Sora. Is anyone else mad about that? No one must touch a hair on Sora's spiky little head!_

_Sora: I feel loved!_


	17. What's wrong with Selphie?

_A/N: I figured I should do fifteen before I won't be able to update for a while. So here's fifteen and maybe if I can type a chapter really quickly I could get sixteen done before tomorrow. I highly doubt that though. So here it is!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything made by Square-Enix. Yet I secretly still wish it was still Square Soft why did they change the name!_

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: What's wrong with, Selphie?

Selphie slowly opened her emerald eyes. She looked around her bright, yellow room. She yawned and sat up, stretching her arms toward the ceiling. "Hello, morning sun that is yellow!" she shouted before flinging herself off of her bed. She landed face-first on the ground, painfully rubbing her cheeks against the carpeting. She could heard the grumblings of the person in the room next to her.

She lifted herself from the ground, giggling as she did; Selphie frolicked into her bathroom locking the door behind her. She hopped into the shower, nearly slipping again. She pulled the shower curtain across, tossed her nightgown over the shower bar, and turned on the warm water.

A few minutes later, her singing ceased and she stepped out the shower wrapping the towel around her. She looked at herself in mirror and winked at her reflection. Today was going to be a good day. She brushed her teeth while taking her make-up out of the cabinet below the sink. Selphie was blissfully unaware of what was going on outside of her bathroom door. She couldn't hear the movement on the other side of the door over her own thoughts.

Selphie applied her clear mascara, careful to apply the right amount to every single eyelash. She fancied herself skilled at applying make-up; as a toddler she was known to play in her mother's stash frequently. She put on her cherry lip-gloss and blew a kiss towards the mirror. She put on her white shirt that went under her yellow jumper, which she put on next. She fastened the buttons and slipped into her white socks that had yellow duck patterns on them.

She kicked open the door and was startled by the sudden thud. Her suitcase was unzipped and against the wall. "Hey how'd this-." A hand went over Selphie's mouth and she was pulled back into the bathroom. She struggled and turned around to see Tidus grinning at her. Completely forgetting her fear she screamed, "Tidus!" and pulled the boy into a tight hug.

"Hey Selph, I just figured I'd stop by since I won't be able to see you till the competition today." He amorously ran a hand across her brunette bob.

Selphie pouted. "I don't know if I can wait till noon to see you." She whined childishly and placed a kiss on his lips. He laughed as she pulled away from his grasp.

"Well, you're going to have to," Tidus cooed lightly kissing her on her cheek. He let go of her and sauntered out the bathroom. He stopped when he was halfway to the door of her room. "You can meet me at the game room after breakfast, okay?"

"Okay!"

Tidus winked at her and then quickly left. Selphie squealed excitedly as she hurriedly slipped on her sneakers. She brushed her hair down and happily skipped out of her room to head to Kairi's. She could not wait to tell her friend of her secret morning encounter.

* * *

Kairi opened her door to see Selphie, Naminé, and Olette waiting on the other side. "Hey." She stepped out and closed the door behind her. Kairi wore a long, jean skirt and pink tank top today.

"Let's go!" Olette exclaimed. She was wearing baggy, black pants and a red t-shirt. She pulled on Kairi's arm and led her down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Kairi asked. Naminé giggled as though her question was silly. Kairi raised a curious eyebrow.

"To breakfast, of course. We have our own cafeteria now," Naminé explained as she followed the other girls. Kairi complained the rest of the way as Olette dragged her down the halls. Their new cafeteria was set up in one of the empty hotel event rooms; the walls were unpainted and rough. The floor was made of wood that looked as though it hadn't been mopped since the construction workers were building it. The food was set up in a corner on a long table.

The girls got their food. Today's breakfast was eggs and bacon. Selphie was thankful it wasn't pancakes. She would throw-up if she saw another one of those. The girls decided to sit in one of the wooden tables lined up against the wall. They idly chatted sharing their plans for the afternoon with each other; Selphie could hardly contain her excitement.

* * *

The boys ate in the usual cafeteria. The only difference was there was now a sign with _boy's cafeteria _written on it. Sora, Hayner, Tidus, Pence, Roxas, Axel, and Riku lazily sat down with trays in their hands. Sora had been grinning in his sleep, on the way to the cafeteria, and in the cafeteria. It was beginning to frighten the others. They knew Sora was a jolly fellow, but not that jolly. Hayner wondered when his cheeks would finally tire out.

"What happened on your date with Kairi that's making you so happy, Sora?" Pence inquired as he shoved a large portion of egg into his mouth.

"Karee woves lee," Sora answered proudly, mid-chew. The boys looked at each other trying to mentally decipher what Sora had just told them.

"What was that?" Hayner asked.

Sora swallowed his food. "Kairi loves me."

"Why didn't you just say that before?" Roxas scolded as he twirled his fork in his hand.

"I did…"

"Well now, you know you have to ask her to be your girlfriend just like we dared Cloud to ask Aerith to be his woman," Tidus added. Sora nodded as he scarfed down the rest of his food.

Riku blankly stared at his plate. He refused to eat. No one seemed to notice; Sora had the gang preoccupied. He was thinking about a certain black-haired 'maiden'. He couldn't seem to get his mind off of Yuffie. _'I wonder what she's doing right now; maybe she's thinking of me? No, she wouldn't waste her thoughts on me. She's probably talking to Tifa right now.' _He silently sighed.

* * *

Yuffie was in the arcade playing games with Dagger. Garnet had insisted that Yuffie call her that from now on, and she had no problem with that. Yuffie found that she enjoyed spending time with Dagger more than she did with Tifa. The thought was scary, because she knew if Tifa ever found out Dagger would be in the object of her wrath.

"I win!" Dagger cheered; she stuck her tongue out at Yuffie. They had been playing Tekken. Yuffie would've played better but her mind was elsewhere.

"Let's play something else," Yuffie suggested.

"Oh, all right."

Yuffie spotted a basketball game from the corner of her eye. As if reading her thoughts Dagger nodded and they walked over to the game.

* * *

Tidus and Selphie entered the arcade. "Come on, Selphie. This place is ours for a few hours," Tidus proclaimed dramatically. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"So, this is a date then?" Selphie chirped.

"Of course it is!"

She smiled at him. Her eyes scanned the room searching for something to play. They landed on the Dance Dance Revolution machine. "Can we play that?"

"We can do whatever you want." Selphie squealed happily and led Tidus to the game. He popped in some money and hopped on the pad next to her. "What song do you want to do?"

Selphie started to skim through the songs looking for one worthy of her time. She stopped on a certain Japanese song. "Let's do that one!" Tidus gave her a thumbs up and she started the song. The two started to move to the arrows, daring to laugh if they messed up.

Dance Dance Revolution had always been one of Selphie's favorite games. It was something she and Kairi did every time they hung out at the mall. Tidus and Selphie both scored high and earned A's.

"You're good at this, Tidus," Selphie complemented giving her boyfriend a small hug.

"You are too." He looked around the room for something else to do. He happened to look at the clock hanging over the entrance and notice it was ten minutes till noon. "Hey, we should get going. The competition is going to start soon and I have to meet up with the other guys and Zell."

"Okay. Bye, Tidus." She gave him a quick kiss before he hurried out of the arcade. Selphie sighed and hurried in the opposite direction.

* * *

The ten minutes passed and everyone was gathered at a small, wooded path located a few miles from the entrance of the hotel. Cid was checking his microphone as the groups assembled. The girls were wearing red gym shorts and white t-shirts while the boys were wearing blue gym shorts and gray t-shirts.

Cid tapped the surface of his microphone and cleared his throat. "Okay, this is our second gender competition! Same rules apply as last time. First group to finish gets a group point and first gender to finish gets a gender point! And this time you don't have to run as a group! Everyone to the starting line!"

Everyone lined up at the white line that was drawn across the pavement. "Ready! Set! Go!" The teens left the finish line leaving Cid in the dust, literally. He had placed himself directly behind all of the runners and had dirt kicked all over him as they left.

The path was small, but once the group entered the wooded area it became easy to be lost. Once again, Seifer and Tifa were running head-to-head. Tifa was full of smack talk as Seifer attempted to stop her by throwing stones at her. She dodged them all easily.

Initially, Roxas had no intention of helping Tifa, but things got out of control. Not only was Seifer flinging stones at Tifa, but he was blocking Roxas. Roxas decided to get revenge; he tripped Seifer sending him tumbling to the ground. "That's for shoving me last time!" Roxas shouted as he jumped over his body and ran away.

Sora laughed also running past Seifer. Riku seized the moment and sped past the laughing brunette while he was distracted. Riku smirked and threw up a loser hand sign. Sora grumbled, "Hey!"

"Shouldn't be laughing so hard!"

Somewhere in the middle, Kairi, Wakka, Selphie, and Rinoa were running against each other. Kairi and Selphie were talking more than they were running allowing Rinoa and Wakka to pass them. Somewhere in-between the front and the middle Fuu, Yuna, Riku, Hayner, Olette, and Setzer were running. In-between the middle and the back Zack, Pence, Naminé, Axel, and Tidus were running. Tidus and Axel were kind enough to run with the slow Naminé. She was a little disappointed Roxas hadn't stayed behind, but she understood that he had a score to settle.

Behind the rest of the runners, Dagger was keeping Vivi company. The poor kid couldn't keep up with the others due to his genetically short legs. Vivi felt terrible for keeping Dagger, but he appreciated her company.

* * *

The only person that wasn't among friends was Yuffie. She had no idea where she was. She tried to run to see if she could catch up with people in front of her, but that failed. Then, she paused to see if anyone would run past her, but that was also a bad idea. So now, she was running alone. _'A teammate could have at least stayed by my side, I'm getting kind of scared why is no one here?'_ She looked behind her again; there was no one there. Yuffie paused; she thought she saw something silver flitting through the trees. She shook her head snapping out of her fear. "Yuffie, stop being delusional." The sound of her own voice was enough to startle her.

She could hear the leaves around her rustling as if something was hiding inside the bushes. Yuffie could feel her heartbeat thumping inside her chest. She motioned to run, but found her limbs constricted; something had grabbed her. She opened her mouth to scream but all she felt was the flesh of someone's palm; she was pulled into the trees. She closed her eyes tight in fear of what might happen to her. She was pushed against the trunk of a tree and released. A body fell against her. _'No, it can't be, it isn't! No it isn't there's no possible way!'_

"You can open your eyes now."

Anger surged through her. Her eyes opened and stared deep into Riku's aquamarine. "How dare you?"

Riku shrugged. "I thought you needed some guidance. You wandered pretty far off of the trail."

Yuffie grumbled. "Fine, whatever. Which way am I supposed to go?"

He smirked. "I'll tell you in a minute." Riku crashed his lips against hers before she could protest. Her body urged to push him off of her, but then she remembered what Tifa had told her.

_"Seduce him and find out more about Kairi and Sora."_

She knew this was what Tifa wanted, so she did not go against her friend's wishes. She wrapped her arms around his neck returning his kisses. Some part of her filled with glee that she couldn't explain. She was making out with Riku; it was something she thought she would never do. Yuffie found that she wasn't even doing it for Tifa. As their tongues danced, she found that she was doing it for herself.

* * *

Roxas, Sora, and Tifa were tied for the lead. Tifa kept trying to trip Roxas, but left Sora alone. She didn't touch him even when he tried to intervene and push Tifa away from Roxas. Sora watched as Tifa harassed Roxas; an idea popped in his head.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted, getting his attention. He grabbed Roxas's arm and yanked him out of Tifa's bullying radius. "Run as fast as you can!" Roxas nodded and left Sora to deal with Tifa.

"What? You want to be alone with me?" Tifa asked with a smirk.

Sora shook his head. He spotted Seifer turning the corner. "Bye, Tifa!" Sora saluted and ran after Roxas.

Tifa opened her mouth to scream, but Seifer shoved her to the ground and ran past her. She could hear his annoying laugh ringing through her ears as she spit the dirt out of her mouth. She banged her fist on the ground and slowly lifted herself off the ground. 'This isn't over yet!'

* * *

"I can't wait till this is over!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah, this is really tiring," Selphie groaned. She was breathing hard and the sweat was dripping down the sides of her forehead.

Kairi turned her head to offer some encouragement only to catch a glimpse of Selphie collapsing to the ground. "Selphie!" She hurried to her fallen friend pulling Selphie's head into her lap to try and wake her. No matter how loudly she called the girl's name or lightly shook her, Selphie did not stir. "Is anyone here? Help!"

She looked around and saw Zack about to past by. "Help!" Kairi screamed as loud as she could, but Zack only passed by. Kairi sighed angrily; competition brought out the worst in people. Kairi wrapped her arms around Selphie's chest and lifted her from the ground. She positioned Selphie on her back and slowly began to walk toward the finish line.

"Kairi!"

She turned her head and saw Tidus, Axel, Naminé, and Pence running toward her. Kairi breathed a sigh of relief. "Guys! Selphie's unconscious!"

"Here, let me help," Tidus offered. He gently pulled Selphie from Kairi's back and carried her in his arms. "How long has she been out?" Selphie was turning pale and her breath was shallow.

"Maybe five minutes."

Tidus knocked some leaves out of Selphie's hair and stared at her; she looked like she was turning into a ghost."Come on, we better hurry and finish the race so we can get her some help."

Kairi felt uneasy as they hurried to get some help. She was the only one that knew about Selphie's breathing problems.

* * *

_A/N: What an eventful race if I do say myself. I guess you could say this chapter concentrated mostly on Selphie eh? Yes Selphie has the spotlight all to herself, the yellow spotlight. Once again thank you for all your wonderful reviews!_


	18. Parting is such Sorrow

_A/N: Okay long time no see! Psyche your wonderful Aerith would not let a simple Internet connection issue slow her down! Thus I am still updating with my nice update-like self. Aren't I wonderful?_

_Selphie: No not really_

_Setzer: I second that I'm hardly in this fan-fiction!_

_Me: That's right Setzer your only there to fill up space. **–Laughs-**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy VIII or IX._

Chapter Sixteen: Parting is such Sorrow

Hayner and Olette were running side-by-side. While Yuna was behind them listening to their conversation carefully. She didn't want to miss anything. Paine would want to know what happened between the two anyway. She was a big 'fan' of Hayner and Olette. Sadly, Paine wasn't with her at the moment, but Rikku was.

"Hayner, thanks again for running with me."

"No problem."

"Isn't it nice, just the two of us running together like this, this hardly ever happens usually at home you always hang out with Pence and leave me behind."

"Well I'm sorry about that I won't neglect you anymore."

"What happened?"

"Huh?"

Olette laughed. "You're not usually like this."

"Isn't that how boyfriends act?" Olette blushed and punched him in the arm. "What?"

"I like you because your you. Not because you're a _prince charming_ just be Hayner."

"Okay then!"

The two smiled at each other. It was a beautiful moment; Yuna was almost in tears. Rikku just looked at Yuna strangely wondering why she was about to cry. Rikku could never amount to the romanticist that Yuna was. Yuna had always been a hopeless romantic, so this was almost like a chick flick movie to her.

"Excuse me!" Tidus ran past Hayner and Olette making them jump back. Olette tumbled to the ground pulling Hayner down with her. Yuna and Rikku looked at each other.

"Was that Selphie he was carrying?" Olette said standing up and knocking the dirt off of her pants.

"Looked like it, we should go help, come on Olette!" Hayner exclaimed grabbing Olette's hand and running after Tidus and Selphie. Axel passed by with Naminé, Pence, and Kairi following him.

"Hey we should go too," Rikku said. Yuna and Rikku joined in on the chase to see what was going on. They hoped it wasn't anything serious.

* * *

Riku pulled away. He smiled at Yuffie and touched her hair. Yuffie blushed holding her head down to hide it. "Come on," Riku said grabbing Yuffie's hand. Riku led Yuffie back to the real trail. It was then she realized that she had been lost. Now she was slightly thankful that Riku had found her when he did.

"Well goodbye Riku," Yuffie said slowly waving goodbye. She ran away leaving Riku where he stood thinking to himself. He smirked watching her retreating figure.

"Move Riku!" Riku jumped out of the way just before Tidus hit him. He blinked watching him run off with Selphie in his hand. Then he saw Hayner and Olette who were followed by Yuna and Rikku. Then Axel, Pence, Naminé, and Kairi.

"What's going on?" Riku asked running by Kairi.

"Selphie she passed out during the race and we're trying to get to the leaders," Kairi explained taking in more deep breaths. Riku frowned. He hoped the little brunette girl was okay.

* * *

Sora and Roxas were pushing themselves to their limits to get away from Seifer and Tifa. It seemed that the two had teamed up just so they could beat them in the race. It wasn't exactly the most devastating thing that could happen, but it was bad.

"How are you doing Roxas?" Sora said taking three deep breaths just for that one sentence.

"Fine," Roxas gasped looking at the brunette. "Do you think…we can m-make it?" Sora nodded seeing a clearing. He pointed towards it as if to say _'That must be where the finish line is.'_ Roxas nodded taking in more air.

Only a few feet behind them Seifer and Tifa were running. "Once I get that brat he's going down," Seifer said watching Roxas. "Then I can steal Naminé away from him." Tifa shook her head looking at Seifer with a pathetic look. "Are you calling me pathetic?"

"Yes," Tifa replied with a small smirk. Tidus didn't even say anything to warn the too. It was horrible. Tidus was like a bowling ball and he made a strike. Both Tifa and Seifer went tumbling to the ground as Tidus ran past them. Following him was the growing group of other competitors.

"Sorry Tifa," Kairi said although she didn't really mean it. Tifa only glared at her and watched the group retreat.

"Sora! Roxas! Move!" Tidus shouted Sora and Roxas dived out of the way of the crowd barely making it without getting run over. They panted watching the group pass by. Kairi helped them up and smiled but her smile quickly faded when she remembered what was happening.

"What's going on?" Roxas inquired.

"Selphie passed out and now we're trying to get her some help so come on!" Kairi said running with the two boys behind her.

* * *

"What's taking them so long to finish the race," Aerith said tapping her foot as she stared into the small forest uneasily.

"It's an hour race Aerith, I'd be surprised if anyone got back now," Cloud stated putting his arm around the worried woman. Aerith nodded smiling at Cloud.

"Thank you." Cloud smiled weakly but it was only a temporary state. His smiles never lasted long.

"Help!"

Leon ran his gloved hand through his hair. He stood up wondering what the crisis was. He saw the large group of teens led by Tidus approaching the finish line. There was a petite brunette girl in his arms that looked to be unconscious. Aerith ran over to Tidus recognizing the brunette girl as Selphie.

"What happened?" Aerith asked anxiously. She took Selphie from Tidus who collapsed to the ground breathing heavily. Kairi ran up to Aerith and started to explain what happened. Aerith nodded handing Selphie to Leon who was standing behind her. Leon placed Selphie and the ground and started to check for a pulse.

Cid ran over and knocked Leon out of the way. Leon glared at him but he knew Cid was more experienced in the medical area than he was. Cid checked for a pulse in various places, her wrist, her neck, and her chest. He shook his head and opened her mouth. He started to perform CPR but frowned again when it wasn't working.

He turned around to faces the kids with a grave look on his face. Aerith gasped and turned away she couldn't look at Cid any longer. "Sorry kids, your friend is dead," Cid said. Beatrix put a white blanket over Selphie's body and instructed Quistis and Zell to take her back to the hotel where they would call the hospital to take Selphie away.

Kairi felt to the ground. Hot tears slid down her cheeks. "Selphie!" Kairi cried watching her dead friend being carried away. Sora frowned the tears also falling from his face. Everyone that had connections to Selphie was crying. Tifa hadn't shed a tear she just looked very sad as she watched the brunette being carried away.

_'Now I can't get revenge on her!'_

Seifer scratched his head he had missed what was going on. Sora bent down and trying to console Kairi as she sobbed on the ground.

Tidus felt numb. His heart was beating loudly as he watched Quistis and Zell take her away from him. Selphie had died; he couldn't save her or protect her. He had failed her. Tidus fell to the ground the life seemed to leave him. Tears didn't fall down his face; instead he looked more emotionless than sad. Roxas and Axel stared at the distraught Tidus. They left him alone, there was nothing they could say or do to make the blonde feel better.

Olette held Hayner as she cried. Hayner stroked her hair looking at Pence who was looking at him. There was a silence over the group other then the sobbing that was coming from Kairi.

Rikku's bottom lip quivered. She started bawling as she hugged Yuna for comfort. Yuna tried to calm Rikku down as she too cried. Paine stood there emotionless. Zack and Setzer looked at each other. They hadn't been attached to the hyperactive girl so there was no reason for them to cry.

"Competition is over," Cid said bluntly into the microphone. He motioned for the leaders and their teams to follow. They started to retreat, but Aerith stayed and watched Kairi sob.

She bent down and whispered into Kairi's ear, "You and your friends can stay here if you would like." Aerith stood up and left tears still falling down her face.

All the others left except for the gang. They stood there and cried for Selphie. Kairi wiped her eyes and finally gained control over herself. She looked over at Yuffie and saw her crying. Kairi ran over to Yuffie and gave her a hug. The girls smiled at each other and continued to cry. Naminé joined in on the hug silently crying, followed by Olette.

Riku looked at Sora who still sat on the ground looking towards the hotel. He seemed to be in a trance. Riku sighed and headed towards the hotel as he tried to get the image of the blanket covering Selphie out of his head. Axel wiped a few tears from his face and followed Riku to the hotel.

Sora stood up and looked at Roxas. Roxas smiled half-heartedly and walked over to Sora. "Why did this have to happen," Sora said his voice shaky. Roxas shrugged he didn't feel in the mood to talk to anyone. The two sighed and started to walk back to the hotel.

Olette pulled away from the hug and waved goodbye to the other girls. She ran back to Hayner and Pence and the three left Kairi, Naminé, and Yuffie alone.

"We need to get a hold of ourselves," Naminé said her make-up smeared on her face and her blue eyes still holding tears that could fall at any given moment. Kairi nodded. She pulled away from the two and turned around. She didn't say anything. She started walking back to the hotel, but the walking soon turned into running. Yuffie and Naminé followed from a distance.

Tidus sat there alone. Everyone had left. He was taking this harder than he should. "Selphie," he mumbled standing up. He slowly started to walk back to the hotel his legs threatening to collapse with every step that he took.

_'I can still see her smile.'_

* * *

A week had passed. Competition's had been put on hold. Everyone was still mourning and no one felt like competing at anything. Hardly anyone spoke unless it was needed. Kairi hadn't come out of her room since the incident. Only Sora was allowed to enter her room. He usually came in to try and cheer her up or eat with her. Every time he visited her room Kairi was in tears. Tidus was in even worse condition.

He never ventured out of his room. He just sat in the middle of the room. He had sat there the entire week and never moved. He was lifeless. His blue eyes had become dull. His tan skin had become cracked and dirty. His blonde hair even looked faded. Tidus hadn't eaten, slept, or drank anything for a week. His friends were worried about him. Every time one of them tried to talk to him he wouldn't answer he'd just sit there staring at the wall.

That's why everyone was gathered in Hayner's room today, except for Sora, Tidus, and Kairi. Hayner slammed his fist onto the desk. "Where's Sora?" he asked.

"He's probably in Kairi's room," Yuna stated.

"Can someone go get him?"

"I'll go," Axel said already walking towards the door. He opened the door to see Sora about to knock and a certain auburn-haired girl behind him. "Sora there you-Kairi?" Kairi nodded and walked into the room. Everyone was silent. She took a seat next to Yuffie on Hayner's green couch.

Sora took a seat on the floor next to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.

"Okay since we're all here we have to talk about Tidus, he's going to die if we don't do anything," Hayner stated.

"But he won't come out of his room," Roxas said he was leaning on the wall.

"But we have to get him out somehow," Dagger replied.

"We could try getting him a new girlfriend," Paine suggested. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"Tidus doesn't move on that quickly," Sora explained before Hayner could curse at her for suggesting something so foul.

Yuffie hugged a small pillow. "There's no way he's coming out that room unless Selphie mysteriously came back to life," Yuffie added serious about her comment. Many still considered her a traitor so her comments were never really taken to heart. Riku always stood up for her and so did Dagger. Hayner still refused to listen.

"We have to do something," Pence said. Sora suddenly fell to the ground.

"It's no time for games Sora!" Hayner scolded kicking Sora in his gut. Sora didn't respond. Kairi burst into tears running over to Sora's side.

"Not you too!" she cried shaking Sora.

"Hey what's this?"

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Poor Selphie. She died! Tidus is really hard on himself now he's going to die in his room for starvation and thirst. Well not really I wouldn't do that to our depressed blonde friend. What happened to Sora? He just kind of fell on the ground there, and now Kairi's suffering from total paranoia. What's going on eh?_


	19. Haunted

_A/N: Okay chapter seventeen. This is might be a long one I'm not really sure what you all consider long. But it is one page longer than it usually is on word. I have a lot to do in a tiny amount of time. Well not really, I'm the author I decide the time in this story!_

_Sora: Just remove me from the floor okay?_

_Me: fine_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts because if I did I wouldn't be writing fan-fiction I would be making it happen in the game! Oh if only I could, but I can't so I should get over it. :_

Chapter Seventeen: Haunted

"Hey what's this?" Wakka removed a small black dart from Sora's back. Everyone gathered around Wakka each taking a good look at the dart. Pence took the dart from Wakka and began to walk towards the exit of Hayner's room.

"This is obviously a tranquilizer dart, I'm going to see where it came from in my mini lab that's in my suitcase," Pence said closing the door behind him. He reopened it seeing blank faces staring at him. "You can watch if you want."

"Okay, let's go guys," Roxas said leading the way out of Hayner's room.

Paine nudged Yuna. "What is it Paine?"

"That's why he wears the same clothes everyday, he didn't have enough room to pack them," Paine teased. Yuna chuckled and the two followed the crowd out. Kairi wrapped Sora's arm around her shoulders and lifted him off the ground. She hobbled towards the door closing it behind her since she was the last one out of the room.

She looked around the hallway making sure no leaders were around then she hobbled towards Pence's room with Sora on her back.

Pence had goggles and a lab coat on. He put the tranquilizer dart on some sort of scanner and watched as a printer faxed out data. _(A/N: Pence is like a former genius eh?)_ Once the data was done printing he gently separated it from the rest of the paper and began reading. "Aha!"

"Aha what?" Riku asked snatching the paper from Pence. He looked over it but was baffled. "How the heck are you supposed to read this?"

Pence cleared his throat snatching the paper away from Riku. "It says that a leather substance touched that dart before it was shot into Sora's back." Everyone stared at him blankly. "That means someone in this hotel shot the dart at Sora."

Rikku gasped loudly. Everyone stared at her with 'What's your problem' looks. "What? It was in the moment," Rikku said twiddling her fingers nervously. They reverted their attention back to Pence who held up the dart.

"Who wears leather in this hotel?" he inquired.

"Cid wears leather gloves," Kairi blurted out.

"How can you accuse Cid he'd never do anything to hurt us," Dagger protested crossing her arms.

"Zell wears leather gloves too," Vivi added.

"Zell would never!" Roxas shouted.

"That leaves Leon," Axel said. He had been leaning against the wall the entire time unnoticed.

"Yeah he wears a bunch of leather," Yuffie said scratching her head.

"Yeah and he's always in that dark mood of his, it's got to be him!" Hayner exclaimed balling his fist. "Oh I'm going to bust him up!"

"Hayner calm down," Olette said un-balling Hayner's hand. "We need evidence before we go around accusing someone."

"Evidence what?"

Everyone turned to face a drowsy Sora. He rubbed his eyes and yawned stretching his arms. Kairi backed away watching Sora stretch. He winced rubbing his backside. "What happened?"

"You were shot!" Rikku cried before covering her mouth with her hands.

"Shot?"

"By a tranquilizer dart," Pence added showing Sora the dart. Sora just looked at it dumbfounded. "It made you fall unconscious."

"Oh."

Paine pushed Pence out of the way. "Now we need evidence spikes, and your going to help us all do our own little investigating. We can't be sure who's the culprit so we're watching all of them. Since you're in Zell's group you can watch him."

"Hayner, Wakka, and I will take care of Leon," Riku said uncrossing his arms.

"The girls and I will take care of Cid then, and by that I mean all of us," Naminé stated.

"I'm not helping," Kairi said bluntly. "Have fun, I just can't do it without Selphie." Kairi waved goodbye and exited the room.

Olette sighed. "I don't know if she's ever going to get over it."

"Well she probably won't forget anytime soon, being Selphie's best friend for almost her entire life she'll be the one who has to tell Selphie's parents," Yuffie explained.

"Kairi," Sora mumbled.

Hayner patted Sora on the back. "Don't worry about her, she'll be fine. Before we start the investigation we should go pay Tidus a small visit. I'm sure he won't mind the company and if he doesn't let's hope he'll say something."

"Right."

"Let's go visit Tidus then," Roxas said opening the door for the girls. "All you girlies can leave, this is man stuff." He held his chest showing how proud he was. Naminé poked him in his chest pushing him back.

"Who's the top dog now?" Roxas glared at her playfully. She giggled and left the room following the other girls.

"What's next? Are you going to woo her?" Riku taunted making Roxas blush.

"Isn't that what your doing with Yuffie?" Riku's face turned red. Sora laughed pushing the boys out of the room.

"Let's go already!"

"Pence are you coming?" Hayner asked looking back at the black haired boy.

"No, but give my best to Tidus."

"Gotcha."

* * *

Tidus sat on the floor in the center of his room as he had been for a week. Or so he was told. It still seemed like it was the same day that Selphie had died. He never noticed night go by. He hadn't paid attention.

He was sure he probably reeked, but he didn't care. There was nothing anyone alive could do to make him move from that spot. Selphie could, but she was dead. He knew he should probably move on, it's what she would have wanted. But he couldn't. To him the idea was absurd.

He'd rather die a million deaths than live his life with another girl. He wouldn't be happy; his life would be empty. Tidus knew all his friends thought he was being too hard on himself. He slightly thought so too. But it was his entire fault. She died because he couldn't save her. If he had run a little faster she might still be here lingering over his shoulder.

Tidus was haunted. Every memory of her made him want to cry. He didn't, not a single tear had been shed. Not that day and not now. He was so deeply depressed he didn't even have the strength too cry. All he thought of was her smile, her eyes, and even her bouncy brown hair. Everything about her haunted ever waking moment of his life. He could swear he still heard her voice in his head.

_'Hey who are you?'_

_'I'm Tidus.'_

_'So your name's Tidus? I'm Selphie!'_

_'Nice to meet you.'_

_'Hey, got a girlfriend?'_

_'No why?'_

_'Oh just wondering…'_

_'I'm hungry let's get some food!'_

_'Food!'_

_'Aren't we enthusiastic?'_

_'We always are!'_

**_She was adorable when she was mad… _**

_'Youtraitorhowdareyou! Arrgyouhurtheryouyouyouyou!'_

--------

_'Tidus!'_

_'It's okay calm down Selph.'_

_'Your such a nice, kind boy.'_

_'Selph those two words mean the same thing.'_

_'I don't care! I just want a hug!'_

_'O-Okay.'_

**_Then we had our date…_ (**A/N: Their date is that one-shot I wrote, just for a reference.)

_'Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!'_

**_That was my favorite shirt. But she could wreck a thousand of them…_**

_'Where do you want to go now?'_

_'Can we go ride the Ferris wheel…I always thought it was romantic to ride the Ferris wheel at night with someone you loved beside you.'_

_'Alright let's…'_

_'Is there something wrong?'_

_'No.'_

_'Then what is it?'_

_'I need a map I'm lost in your eyes.'_

**_I wish I hadn't said that stupid catch-line… _**

_'Oh sorry.'_

_'I'm sorry I had to give all of the maps away to my other admirers.'_

**_Her laugh was enough to make me drop dead, and her squeal almost did. _**

_'Oh Tidus!'_

_'You don't have to squeal I'm right here!'_

_'I know, but I love you!'_

**_We always used to flirt too…_ **

_'Ladies first.'_

_Selphie winked at him blowing him a kiss. Tidus pretended to catch it only to be slapped upside the head by Axel._

_'Ow.'_

**_I still have that bruise._ **

"What do you think he's thinking about?" Roxas asked poking Tidus where his bruise was.

"Selphie of course," Axel replied. Tidus was so caught up in his dream world he hadn't noticed his friends enter the room.

"Tidus! Come on you have to eat man!" Hayner shouted kicking Tidus in his shin. Tidus didn't even flinch. Hayner sighed shaking his head.

"Tidus couldn't you eat just a small bit of something?" Sora asked, but there was no use. Tidus was too faraway from reality to hear their pleas.

Selphie giggled. Tidus jumped to his feet looking at the door. "Tidus come on!" Selphie squealed opening the door and happily skipping out of it. She popped her head back in. "Remember we have a date!"

Tidus grinned and started to run for the door.

"Tidus? Man what's wrong with you?" Wakka asked. Tidus looked at his friend then looked back at the door. It was closed and didn't show any traces that it had ever been opened. He didn't even hear Selphie's urges for him to follow anymore. Tidus sighed and went back to his spot and sat down.

Sora frowned. "He really should see a doctor."

"Look around Sora there is no doctor!" Riku exclaimed.

Hayner sighed. "Let's go and leave the blonde to his fantasies. He'll snap out of it eventually I hope." Hayner turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh and Pence says hi." With that the boys reluctantly left Tidus's room closing the door behind them.

Tidus sighed. He was about to close his eyes and give up on life when he heard a cry of pain. He looked around. He saw Selphie on the floor tied up and being dragged away by an unknown figure.

"Tidus! Help!" she cried reaching out for the blonde as she was being pulled away.

"Selphie!" Tidus shouted running towards the brunette.

"Tidus! Save me!" Selphie cried disappearing into the wall. Tidus ran into the wall headfirst. He toppled to the ground banging his fist on the wall.

"I won't loose you again!" Tidus vowed standing on his feet. His legs were a little shaky from the impact. Regardless, he ran into the wall headed for Sora's room. Maybe his friends would believe what he saw?

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Tidus has really lost it. Don't you agree? Aw but he cares for Selphie and that's what's important even though he's insane and needs to be locked away. Just kidding. : He's still our loved blonde friend. I wonder what the boys reactions will be when they see Tidus running, walking, and talking. You'll just have to read now won't you! Oh and submit a lovely review._


	20. Crazy People

_A/N: Tidus lives! Sorry it was in the moment. Now let's go back to the Selphie drama. Maybe Tidus will finally accept the concept that Selphie is dead and long gone. If he doesn't someone will have to call the men in the white coats to take him away._

_Tidus: Some support you are! _

_Yuffie: Yeah I know she's the most supportive thing on the planet. _

_Me: Thank you for your sarcasm Yuffie. _

_Yuffie: Any time. _

Chapter Eighteen: Crazy People 

Sora and the boys were in his room talking about their future investigation. Sora, Roxas, and Axel would be investigating their favorite blonde leader, Zell. Hayner, Wakka, and Riku would be investigating Leon, the prime suspect. They already knew the girls would take care of Cid for them, so now all they needed to do was put their plan into action.

"So now that that's settled how about we talk about something worth-while," Riku said a smirk on his face.

"What are you thinking about Riku?" Sora asked slyly.

Riku chuckled. "Sora you know me too well."

"We don't so out with it!" Roxas exclaimed in frustration.

"The girls of course, idiot," Axel said slapping Roxas upside the head. Roxas glared at Axel smirked and walked back to his spot on the wall.

Riku slouched on the couch and stared at the other boys. "So got any thing planned?"

"Nope, not me I don't think Kairi's ready to have fun again," Sora replied. He was still deeply worried about her. "I wouldn't want to offend her."

"I don't care about girls," Axel said rolling his eyes.

"Right, I think I'm going to buy Yuffie some jewelry or something like that," Riku stated moving his silver locks out of his face.

"Out of all the pretty girls here you choose her! Riku you're just crazy," Hayner said. "Olette is dragging me out the hotel so we can go shopping." Roxas chuckled only to be smacked on the head by Hayner. "What do you have planned that's so great?"

Roxas smiled. "Well I'm taking-I mean nothing," Roxas said rubbing the back of his neck.

"What were you going to say? Out with it Roxas-man!" Wakka exclaimed. Roxas laughed nervously and shook his head.

Tidus burst through the door causing Sora to yell, Riku to jump off the couch, Roxas to fall off Sora's bed, Hayner to crack his neck, Wakka to stumble back, and Axel to slide down the wall.

"Oh it's just Tidus," Hayner said. The boys sighed in relief and went back to their spots.

"Guys!" Tidus exclaimed running to the center of the room.

"He talked!" Sora shouted pointing at the blonde. He ran over to Tidus and hugged him. "Your alive!" Tidus looked at him strangely. Sora pulled away grinning. "What's up?"

Hayner pushed Tidus and sat him on Sora's red couch. Everyone stared at him eagerly waiting for what he was going to say. "Okay guys, I hope you don't think I'm crazy but I think Selphie's still alive," Tidus said.

"Did you not see her die?" Axel asked insensitively. Tidus nodded slowly looking at the carpeted ground.

"I just have this feeling, like she's trying to contact me. I've been seeing her everywhere I look," Tidus explained. Riku patted him on the back.

"Tidus look, we all know how deeply in love you were with Selphie. But it's time to let go," Riku said. Tidus frowned.

Hayner grabbed him. "Fine you can do a Selphie investigation with Kairi, but your going to eat something first," Hayner said pulling Tidus out of the room as the boys followed the two. "You're going to eat everything in that cafeteria!"

"Okay."

Riku stopped. "Hey I'll catch up with you guys later," Riku said before running back down the hall.

"Bye Riku!" Sora shouted before being dragged down the hall by Wakka.

* * *

Kairi lay on her bed in tears once again. "Selphie why'd you have to die? Couldn't you live longer and fulfill your dreams like you planned to?" Kairi shouted to the ceiling. She wiped her tears and sat up. She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a bracelet with a note attached.

_Happy seventh birthday Kairi! I'll buy you some charms for your bracelet as soon as I can okay! Love you to death!_

_Your best friend Selphie_

Kairi sniffled putting it back in her suitcase. "You never did buy any c-charms and it's been eight y-years," she stuttered walking to the door. She decided she would go for a nice walk. She exited the hotel and walked around the hotel grounds trying her hardest to enjoy herself.

She smiled sadly as she looked at the flowers. _'Selphie always loved flowers, that's why all her admirers would give her them, we all knew her too well.'_ Kairi frowned kicking a pebble.

_'Give me back my teddy bear!' Kairi cried as her two kindergarten bullies dangled it over the edge of the park slide. She was only a five year old._

_'No!' they taunted laughing at her. Kairi cried more reaching out for her bear._

_'Hey leave her alone!' Selphie shouted standing behind the boys._

_'Who are you?' they asked._

_'I'm Selphie! Now give me that bear!'_

_'Make us!' Selphie jumped onto the brunette boy and bit down on his arm. The boy cried in pain dropping the bear the other boy picked it up making a run for the slide. Selphie grabbed his collar snatching the bear away from him. She kicked him down the slide and ran back down the stairs._

_Kairi ran towards Selphie who happily gave her the bear back. 'Thank you!' Kairi exclaimed giving Selphie a hug._

"That was the first day we met," Kairi mumbled. Something black caught her eye. She turned around and saw a black leather glove. "What's this?" She picked it up and examined it. "I'll bet Pence will know!"

* * *

Roxas and Naminé walked hand-in-hand around a small park. "I almost told the guys about our secret meeting," Roxas admitted.

"It's a good thing you didn't our relationship should be kept a secret," Naminé replied smiling at him. Roxas grinned kissing her on the cheek. "So why are we here Roxas?"

"It's a secret follow me please," Roxas ordered leading Naminé to a clearing in the park. She happily looked at nature as she walked past it. She had always enjoyed nature, so she made a mental note to sketch this out in her sketchbook.

"Here we are Naminé," Roxas announced revealing a blue-checkered blanket with a cute, old-fashioned picnic basket sitting on it. Naminé gasped and looked at Roxas. She gave him a tight hug and quietly squealed in delight.

The scenery was great. They would be eating in a flower patch surrounded by old willow trees and a small pond. "Roxas thank you so much!" she said happily laughing as she ran to sit on the blanket. Roxas smiled and followed her.

The two sat down on the blanket and Roxas began to pull the food out of the blanket. He pulled out two slices of apple pie and some whipped cream. "I figured you already ate dinner so I'm treating you to dessert."

"How'd you know apple pie was my favorite?"

"Just a hunch."

He also pulled out a large, light blue teddy bear. It had a white ribbon around its neck and on it's stomach was a red heart. On the heart in white calligraphy were the words 'I love you'. Naminé gasped lightly taking the bear from Roxas. She was speechless.

"A thank you will suffice."

"Thank you!" Naminé cried. "This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." Roxas smiled putting some whipped cream on her slice of pie before handing it to her. Naminé sat her bear next to her and took the plate from Roxas. He handed her a fork and the two began to eat.

Roxas looked up at Naminé and blushed. He finished his slice of pie and put the plate in the basket. Naminé handed him his and he did the same. "Roxas this has been the best day ever, it would be better if I knew all my friends were alright and not in danger, I just wish there was no threat," Naminé said her eyes swelling up with tears. Roxas pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright Naminé, everyone will be okay you'll see."

"Not everyone." Roxas was silent. Naminé smiled weakly resting her head on his shoulder. "Can we stay like this forever?" Roxas chuckled holding onto her waist. He whispered into her ear.

"As long as time allows." She blushed and closed her eyes.

* * *

Tidus walked down the hallway with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I guess I should go take a bath like they told me too," Tidus muttered opening the door to his room. He saw Selphie sitting on his bed. She turned around and ran to him.

"Tidus!"

"Selphie!" He opened his arms to give her a hug but she went right through him. "Selphie." He grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom closing the door behind him. _'She's dead, not real but dead. I'm just seeing things!'_

* * *

Riku waited around in the hallway. "Where is she," he exclaimed impatiently. He looked down the hallway but he still didn't see Yuffie coming. They were supposed to meet two hours ago and she still hadn't showed up. So he decided he would pay her a little visit at her room.

He walked down the girls' hallway looking for Yuffie's room. He spotted the door with her name on it and started to pound on the door. "Yuffie!" he shouted he turned the doorknob noticing it was unlocked. He opened the door and saw no one inside. "Yuffie? Hello? Anybody here?"

He heard some commotion outside on the balcony. He cautiously approached the door kicking it open. He saw Tifa kicking Yuffie. Yuffie stumbled over balling her fist. She stood up but Tifa shoved her down again. Yuffie grabbed Tifa's leg and pulled her down. She punched Tifa in the face making a run for the door. She hadn't noticed Riku there and ran straight into him knocking him onto the floor.

"Oh hey Rik-." She was pulled off of Riku and thrown back onto the balcony. She yelped hitting the ground. Tifa grabbed Yuffie lifting her up and raising her fist.

"Your not going anywhere you little traitor!" Tifa exclaimed Yuffie kicked Tifa in her stomach causing Tifa to drop Yuffie. Yuffie landed on all fours and began to crawl away. Riku sat in the doorway of the balcony just watching the fight absent-mindedly. Tifa grabbed Yuffie's hair pulling her over to the edge of the balcony.

"Say goodbye brat!" Yuffie screamed being flipped over the edge. She held onto the side screaming as her legs dangled over the edge. Tifa smirked.

"Tifa! You're going to kill me because of Dagger and Kairi?" she asked slyly. "No wonder you don't have any friends I bet you killed them all!" Yuffie knew she was in no position to talk but she minus well go out with a bang.

Tifa smirked. "As witty as ever even near death," Tifa said. She grabbed Yuffie's hands so that she was holding her over the edge. "Well goodbye Yuff it's been great." Yuffie closed her eyes not wanting to see her demise.

Riku kicked Tifa in her back making her drop a screaming Yuffie. Riku grabbed Yuffie's hand and started to pull her up. Tifa kicked Riku on his side. Yuffie screamed feeling her hand slip out of Riku's. Riku grabbed her wrist. "Yuffie it'll be okay," Riku said pulling her up. Tifa punched Riku's arm expecting him to be in pain. "That was foolish."

"Huh?"

Riku lifted Yuffie and swung her at Tifa. Yuffie kicked Tifa in the face before slamming into Riku's chest. Tifa smirked cracking her knuckles. "Tifa just give it up it's over!" Yuffie exclaimed clenching her fists. Tifa aimed for a punch at Yuffie's face but she easily blocked with her hand. She kicked Tifa back smiling at the brunette.

"What's going on?" Dagger asked seeing Yuffie, Riku, and Tifa in Yuffie's room. She entered the balcony only to be flipped over the edge by Tifa. Dagger screamed being dangled over the edge. Tifa was holding onto her ankle.

"Looks like Garnet's going to meet her end," Tifa said playfully swinging Dagger as the girl screamed.

"Let her go!" Yuffie shouted.

"Hmm on one condition."

"Name it."

"Destroy Garnet's novel."

"What! There's no way your making me do that!"

"Okay." Tifa let go of Dagger's ankle. Yuffie grabbed it halfway over the edge. Tifa kicked Yuffie over, but Yuffie stuck her foot in-between the bars of the railing on her balcony barely hanging on. Dagger screamed looking up at Yuffie.

"Riku!" Yuffie cried. Riku glared at Tifa who was trying to get Yuffie's foot out of the bars. Riku pushed Tifa into the wall pinning her against it.

"I'm going to destroy you," Riku said through gritted teeth. Tifa smiled playfully.

"Try me."

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Tifa is evil! **–Hisses-** Poor Yuffie and Dagger. Let's just hope Yuffie has enough foot strength to stay on that balcony or else her and Dagger are doomed! Doomed I tell you! Unless Riku does another one of his Riku miracle saves. He's such a nice, perverted, savior don't you think?_


	21. True or False?

_A/N: Tifa's totally over the line of all evil. And Tidus is over the line of insanity. And Kairi's is just Kairi. While Selphie is long gone, because she died, thus resulting to Tidus's insane issue. Poor Selph._

_Tifa: Just get on with it so everyone can behold my evil!_

_Me: Okay just don't kill me!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX_

Chapter Nineteen: True or False? 

"Try me."

Riku picked up Tifa and threw her onto the ground. He kicked her into Yuffie's room and locked the door. Tifa banged on the glass door glaring at Riku.

Yuffie couldn't hold on any longer. Her foot slipped out and Dagger and Yuffie screamed as they fell. Riku grabbed Yuffie's leg. "I've got you," he said pulling the girls back onto the balcony. Dagger took in deep breaths and hugged Yuffie.

"Not that I'm unsupportive but I'm leaving," Dagger said opening the glass door and running out before Tifa could catch her. Yuffie looked at Riku.

"Thank you so much," she said giving the albino boy a hug. He smiled and returned the hug. She pulled away and looked at Tifa who was glaring at her. "Get out."

"Fine, but he won't always be here to protect you," Tifa said leaving Yuffie's room and slamming the door behind her. Yuffie smiled walking into her room.

"I'm sorry I couldn't meet you in the hallway Riku," Yuffie apologized closing the door after he stepped inside.

Riku laughed. "It's alright, you were kind of busy anyway." Yuffie nodded looking in the mirror. She had bruises on her face and scratches in other places on her body. She sighed.

"Do you still want to go?"

"No, we don't have too."

"Okay Riku, well I'll see you tomorrow then." Riku grabbed Yuffie by her waist and smiled. She blushed holding onto his arms. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Riku replied releasing Yuffie from his grasp. "See you tomorrow." Yuffie closed the door behind him leaning on the door. Riku opened it back up knocking Yuffie to the ground. "Hey Pence wants to-what are you doing on the ground?"

"Just lying around," Yuffie lied standing up. "Pence wants what?"

"Pence wants us to meet him in his room he found out some more evidence." Yuffie nodded and walked with Riku to Pence's room. She wondered what they found out that was so groundbreaking that everyone had to come and see.

* * *

Everyone was gathered in Pence's room. Kairi was standing next to Pence who was holding up the leather glove she had found. "What's up Pence?" Sora asked sitting on his blue couch.

"This is the leather glove that touched the tranquilizer dart," Pence announced. Rikku gasped loudly. Everyone looked at her strangely.

"It was in the moment!" Rikku exclaimed frowning at her audience. Hayner shook his head and grabbed the glove.

"So this helps us how?" Paine asked.

"Whoever has a missing glove shot Sora," Pence explained, "Because we have their glove."

"Oh!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Sounds simple enough," Yuna replied.

Tidus entered the room. He was wearing the ugly red shirt Selphie had bought for him with baggy jean pant and white sneakers. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and sat on Pence's bed. A silence came over the room as they all stared at Tidus like he was an alien.

"What?" Tidus asked looking at all the eyes.

"Your out of your room," Yuffie said.

"Poor Tidus," Naminé said, "He comes out of his room and has to greeted by silence." Kairi smiled and waved Tidus waved back and looked over at Pence.

"Well we should go ask our leaders then," Pence said.

"Right," Dagger said opening the door. "Let's go."

Tidus jumped off of Pence's bed. "I'm going back to my room, tell me if you find out anything okay." Tidus left and strolled down the hallway lazily. Cloud happened to walk by and saw the overly large group of boys and girls in Pence's room.

"Don't you all know the rules?" Cloud asked. "Out." The girls quickly ran out of the room and headed to their hallways hoping and praying that Cloud wouldn't tell on them. He eyed the boys who were pale. "Your lucky I'm in a good mood." After Cloud said that he left with the door still wide open.

Rikku poked her head out from the side of the couch. "Hey where'd everyone go?" she asked looking at the boys.

"Obviously you missed the memo," Axel chuckled grabbing the petite girl by her collar and throwing her out slamming the door behind her.

"Looks like Axel has a crush," Sora teased grinning at Axel who returned the grin with a glare. "Is she really your type though? I would think you'd like Paine better or Fuu." _(A/N: Pretty random eh? But I feel like putting the two together! No flames or rotten tomatoes please! Just a tiny part of the story no big)_

"Shut up Sora." Sora grinned he had triumphed over Axel.

"Well we have work to do so let's go Sora," Roxas said dragging Sora out of the room to see Rikku still there. She fell on the ground. "Eavesdropper? He's all yours!" Roxas and Sora laughed as they passed by. Rikku stood there with an innocent smile on her face as if saying 'I didn't do it'.

Axel grumbled grabbing Rikku by her collar and dragging her down the hallway. Wakka and Hayner watched laughing at the two. "He's totally into her!" Hayner laughed with Wakka who's laugh resembled Santa Claus's. Pence stared at them strangely but chuckled.

"Do you like eavesdropping?" Axel asked coldly.

"What can I say I'm a gossip!" Rikku squealed forcing Axel to cover his ears.

"Shut up!"

"That's not very nice thing to tell someone mister grumpy pants!" Axel sighed angrily letting her drop to the ground. "Hey!"

"Hey what?"

"Is you want to ask me out go ahead and do it! Being rude to me is not helping your chances." Axel blushed and shooed her away. Rikku stuck out her tongue and ran down the hallway and into Yuna's room. He could hear Rikku screaming _'Yunie!'_ and Yuna dropping whatever she was holding.

"Aceller and Rikku sitting in a tree!" Roxas teased.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Sora sung.

"It's Axel! A-X-E-L! How many times must I tell you?" Axel shouted chasing after the two boys who ran away screaming 'Atoka's a mad-man!'_ (A/N: Aren't they bright?)_

* * *

Leon strolled down the hallway searching for something that belonged to him. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his leather jacket was unzipped. "Where is it?" he questioned himself stopping in the middle of the hallway.

"Where is what?" Wakka asked standing in front of his leader Leon.

"I'm looking for a leather glove that I lost," Leon explained scanning the red carpet for his beloved glove.

"Oh really?" Hayner said narrowing his eyes. "When did you loose it?"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "And why do you want to know that Hayner?"

"I'm just curious."

"Whatever, if you see it just tell me."

"Okay leader-man," Wakka said watching Leon stroll away. Wakka looked at Hayner and smirked. "He is guilty, man."

Hayner nodded. "We better go tell the others."

"Right."

* * *

Olette and Naminé peered around the corner where Cid was standing. He was talking to Aerith about the competitions.

"So could you tell your team about it?"

"Sure." Aerith said her goodbye and left Cid standing in the middle of the hallway. Olette looked at Naminé who nodded. The two girls approached Cid from behind.

"Hey Cid!" Olette greeted running to the front of him.

"What's up kiddo?" Cid asked.

"We were wondering if you were missing a glove," Naminé replied with one of her sweet smiles. Cid shook his head and eyed the two girls.

"Why?"

"Our friend Kairi found a glove outside and since we know you wear leather gloves we figured we'd ask you," Olette explained trying not to sound suspicious.

"Nope but I heard Leon was."

"Oh okay we'll go ask him if it's his thanks Cid," Naminé said grabbing Olette's arm and running towards the boy's hallway. "We should tell the others."

"So you're saying Axel was trying to kill you?" Zell asked looking at Sora, Roxas, and Axel.

"Yep!" Roxas exclaimed pretending to glare at Axel. Axel sighed and held his head.

"Okay, whatever have fun!" Zell chimed placing his gloved hands behind his head. He turned around and walked away from the three boys.

"Well he's not the culprit," Sora said looking at his two companions. "We should tell Pence and see if the others have any information about that glove that Kairi found."

"Right." That was Axel's reply before he took off running in the hallway. Sora and Roxas shrugged and looked behind them when they saw Seifer running their way. Now they knew why Axel was running away.

To their surprise Seifer ran right past them. Sora and Roxas glanced at each other before deciding they would follow the blonde fiend.

Seifer met up with Fuu who was standing in the middle of the meeting area waiting for him. She saw him come in and turned around to face him. "Seifer."

"Fuu, do you know where she is?"

"Pence."

"Pence's room? All right thanks Fuu I owe you one!" Fuu simply nodded and walked out of the waiting room glaring at Sora and Roxas as she passed. The glare sent shivers down Roxas's spine. Fuu had always scared him.

Sora grabbed Roxas and pulled him down the hallway so Seifer wouldn't see them. Roxas watched Seifer run towards the boy's hallway obviously headed to Pence's room. 'I wonder who they were talking about,' Roxas thought.

* * *

"So this means Leon shot Sora in the back," Pence said staring at the glove that was on his desk.

"Yeah he's the only one with the missing glove," Wakka said.

"This has to mean something, why would Leon shoot Sora in the back with a tranquilizer dart? There has to be some reason," Pence said scratching his head. Olette shrugged. Naminé sighed looking towards the door.

"I'll be back," she said exiting the room. Olette waved goodbye to her blonde friend before she left even though Naminé didn't see.

"I guess we have to tell the others then," Hayner said looking at Pence who nodded in response.

Naminé started to walk down the hallway. She had no intentions of going back to Pence's room, but she knew they wouldn't have let her leave if she hadn't said she was. She looked around the hallway enjoying the silence.

She took a deep breath and stopped walking. She closed her eyes and began to hum the words to a song she had on her mind. She felt a tug on her arm and felt herself being pulled down the hallway. She opened her eyes only to see the hallway pass by she looked up and saw a blonde boy pulling her towards the exit. Thinking it was Roxas she let him pull her out of the hotel.

The pulling ceased and she noticed she was standing in the garden of the hotel, but not with whom she expected it to be with.

"Seifer?"

"The one and only baby."

_

* * *

A/N: Seifer finally got Naminé alone. Uh-oh. What will he do and will Roxas come to her rescue if needed? Why is Leon trying to kill everyone! Hah I love questions don't you? Anyways yep I promised you multiple updates did I not?_


	22. Surprise Surprise

_A/N: **-Chime-** I have an estimate on how many chapters there shall be in this fan-fiction. My estimate so far is about thirty. That's a lot but I still have a lot of ground to cover. It might end sooner but who knows. I already have plans for like three other fan-fictions so I'll be pretty busy._

_Seifer: Just get on with it so I can hit on Naminé_

_Naminé: Humph, you're rude_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts._

Chapter Twenty: Surprise Surprise

"The one and only baby."

"What do you want Seifer?"

"You."

Naminé stumbled back. "Me? Why am I so important."

"Because you such a beautiful creature and you deserve a man."

"A man? Your no more of a man than Hayner is!"

Seifer laughed. "Feisty, I like that." Seifer had Naminé against the wall and he was still closing in. "Why would you want Roxas anyway? He's nothing special."

"He's more special than you are!" Naminé eyes showed no fear, yet inside she was trembling at the all the things Seifer could do to her right now. She gulped watching his face get closer to hers.

"Now shut up and give me a kiss." She shook her head and kneed Seifer in his vulnerable spot. He fell back and groaned in pain. Naminé glared at him before running back into the hotel.

_'That was too close.'_

* * *

Kairi looked over at Sora who grinned at her. She sighed and slumped in her seat. Sora ran his fingers through her hair. "Come on Kairi, you can't be down like this forever you know," Sora said trying to cheer her up.

"I can try," Kairi muttered eyeing Sora.

"She wouldn't want you to be sad like this," Sora replied removing his hand from her head. "She'd want you to be happy."

"I know, but why does it have to be so hard?" Sora chuckled and kissed her on her cheek.

"Well what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know."

"I heard there's going to be a competition."

"When?"

"Tonight at seven we're doing DDR as teams."

"Oh cool."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"What!" Kairi jumped out of her chair. Her bluish-purple eyes widened. "Y-Your girl-girlfriend?"

"Sorry I asked."

"No! I'd love too. I'm just a little shocked it was so sudden."

"Oh okay." Kairi jumped on Sora tackling him on the couch. "Hey! What was that for?" Kairi put her finger over his mouth silencing him. He stared at her curiously. She simply rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

"Thank you Sora." Sora chuckled and gently stroked her back.

"Your welcome."

* * *

In a snug little wooden bed a small body laid asleep. The body was of a brunette female. Her hair was tousled and she was barely moving. Her breathing was slightly unsteady, but her lungs were working. She moaned turning so that she was lying on her back. She slowly opened her green eyes blinking several times because her vision was a little blurry. Once it was cleared she looked around the room.

She was in a burgundy painted room with only the bed she lay on and a small chair in the corner. The objects were both wooden and slightly faded. She rubbed her head. _'How'd I get here? I don't even remember the last thing that happened to me.'_

"Okay let's see my name is Selphie Tillmit. I live in Georgia and my best friend is Kairi Adzuki. Oh that's right! The competition…for that one sweepstakes! And my boyfriend Tidus! Oh and then I had an…I had an asthma attack." She looked around the room and saw no signs of anyone ever being in this room but her.

"Where am I? Where are my friends? Is this the hotel?" She got out of the bed and started to walk towards the door. "I better get out of here." She hadn't noticed she was still in the gym clothes. Selphie wasn't even sure of how long she'd been there.

She reached for the doorknob and felt something cold and circular on her head. She ignored it and continued to reach until she felt it being pushed onto the side of her head. She stopped reaching and put her hand down. There was a gun being pointed at her head.

"Who's there?" Selphie cried before turning around. She screamed and a gunshot was heard.

* * *

Yuffie and Dagger were walking down the hallway together chatting about Dagger's novel. "Oh! That's a great idea!" Yuffie exclaimed happily.

"I'm trying to get some more action in my story," Dagger explained pleased by her friends' reaction. "It'll be nice to see some violence instead of romance right?" Yuffie nodded.

"You should make a character die," Yuffie suggested.

"I know, but I'm not sure which one I want to die," Dagger replied scratching her head in thought. Yuffie shrugged smiling at Dagger. "This is so hard." Yuffie laughed. "Yuffie watch-."

Yuffie slammed into someone knocking the person down with her tumbling down in the other direction. "Out," Dagger said finishing her sentence. Yuffie rubbed her head and saw Riku staring at her.

"Umm I'll talk to you later Dagger," Yuffie said staring at Riku with an eyebrow raised.

"All right, just don't get caught bye!" Dagger said quickly walking away in the other direction. Yuffie watched her leave still sitting on the ground. Riku pulled her up and glared at her.

"What's the matter Riku?"

"You should have told me."

"Told you what?"

"About him."

"Him who?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Your boyfriend!" Yuffie scratched her head. She didn't remember having a boyfriend.

'Did I have a boyfriend? No Tifa had a boyfriend. Nope I definitely don't have one. Why does Riku think I do?' "Riku what are you talking about I don't have a boyfriend." Riku shook his head and showed Yuffie a picture of her and a black-haired boy. She laughed taking the picture. "That's Tifa's boyfriend silly."

"That's what Tifa said you would say. I can't believe you."

"I don't have a boyfriend Riku! And since when do you listen to miss high and mighty anyway? Don't you know by now not to trust her at all?" Riku turned around.

"This isn't about trusting Tifa it's about trusting you. For all I know you could be lying to me."

Yuffie grabbed Riku's arm. "I wouldn't lie to you about something that serious. Don't you trust me at all? After all those surprise attacks don't you think I would say 'get off of me I have a boyfriend!'"

"I just don't know Yuffie, I mean you did betray Kairi. How do I know your not trying to deceive me?" He removed his arm from her grasp. "I just don't know."

"But Riku! I wouldn't do that to you! You have to believe me." Riku shook his head and started to walk down the hallway. "Riku!"

"Please don't talk to me anymore. After all you only used me to get information about Sora and Kairi for Tifa. And I fell into your trap too." Yuffie fell onto the ground defeated. She started to cry, which soon turned into loud sobs.

Riku flinched. _'No Riku, don't go console her she deserves this. She used you and she shouldn't be trusted anymore. She doesn't even care.' _Yuffie's sobs just seemed to get louder and louder with each passing moment. Riku stood there trying to block them out, but he couldn't. He turned around and ran over to her bending down so he could face her. "Shut up please."

Yuffie pulled Riku into a hug and began to cry on his shoulder. Riku smiled. "Is it really that painful to be away from me?" Yuffie stopped crying and slapped him.

"I wouldn't get conceited if I were you!" Yuffie shouted. "You can't even trust me! Instead you listen to Tifa!" Yuffie took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "It may have started that way, but I do really care about you Riku. But I can't love someone that doesn't trust me."

"Yuffie."

"Shut up please."

"Fine." Riku wrapped his arms around a struggling Yuffie. He pulled her into an unwanted hug. She tried to get away but she wasn't strong enough, so she was stuck until he released her. "I love you too." Yuffie blushed looking at the carpeted floor.

"Riku." Riku grabbed her chin gently forcing her to look at him. He pressed his lips against hers pulling her into one of his addicting kisses. Yuffie smiled letting down her guard and returning his kiss.

* * *

Hours passed by and the competition was about to start. Everyone was gathered in the game room where Cid was standing on the DDR machine. "Okay kiddos today's competition is DDR as you can see. It'll be team against team today for a team point. This is the second to last competition! Now our first match is Tidus versus Olette point goes to whomever wins."

Olette and Tidus stepped onto the platform looking at each other. Olette smiled sweetly and Tidus just waved. "Okay they will be performing a mystery song!" Cid hit the buttons and put it on heavy and then started the game. The two ended up doing YMCA.

After a few minutes of Tidus struggling and Olette doing well the song ended and Olette was victorious. The next match was Wakka versus Rinoa. The song they ended up performing was 'The never ending story'. Wakka always hated this song but was very good at it. To Rinoa's surprise she was defeated.

The last match was Pence versus Rikku. The song they got was 'Look at us'. Pence watched in awe along with the rest of the crowd as Rikku handled it like it was nothing. Her feet were moving so fast it was inhuman. Pence wasn't doing very well and was getting several bads and misses.

"Okay so the winners are Aerith's team, Leon's team, and Quistis's team! They will now do one last competition and then we decide who the point goes too!"

First match was Naminé versus Seifer. They performed a song called 'Sakura blossoms'. Seifer hadn't even known it existed till now. Which is why he did terrible. Not to mention he had two left feet. Naminé was victorious.

Second match was Yuffie versus Hayner They performed something called 'Nadia'. Yuffie lost to Sora by one grade letter. Hayner got a roaring applause and he didn't even know why. Yet, he enjoyed it.

The last match was Kairi versus Riku. The song they were doing was 'Waiting for Tonight'. A fairly easy song, it was one of Kairi's personal favorites. She had always aced this one. Riku was also doing swell. In fact they both tied.

Cid didn't exactly feel like watching another competition so he felt like being generous. "Okay since it was a tie both teams get a point! That's a point for Aerith and Leon's teams. Okay folks go back to your business now!" With that being said Cid left the room followed by Zell and Quistis.

Kairi gave Riku a pat on his back. "I'm surprised you tied me. I didn't expect someone like you to be able to move like that," Kairi said.

"Well I am Riku, good job to you too Kairi," Riku bragged. Kairi laughed waving goodbye to Riku. Sora had called her over. She linked arms with Sora and he led the way out of the game room.

"Good job Riku!" Yuffie said happily giving him a hug. Riku blushed looking at the floor hoping no one had seen his face. His hopes were destroyed when he heard Hayner and Roxas laughing.

"Looks like Riku has a shy side!" Hayner taunted.

"Some player he is!" Roxas shouted laughing louder. Naminé punched him in his arm. "Ow! Naminé!" She smiled.

"Stop being mean, he's more of a player than you are anyway."

"Hey!"

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Selphie! Well she was there for a minute. Poor Selph. Anyway there's the second to last competition I wonder who will win! Let's just hope Tifa doesn't. Anyways thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I love you all to death!_


	23. Promise

_A/N: I warn you for the fluff. Beware of the fluff! Okay there won't be that much but still! I love the fluff. Don't you Vivi?_

_Vivi: What is fluff? Isn't that stuff cotton candy?_

_Rikku: No it's umm something beyond your age!_

_Vivi: Aww I'm too young_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything except this wonderful idea._

Chapter Twenty-One: Promise

"So Sora where are you taking me tonight?" Kairi asked resting her head on his shoulder. "This bright and starry night. Aren't the stars beautiful?" Her attention reverted to the lit night sky.

Sora chuckled. "Don't get distracted Kairi, I have something really special for you," Sora said leading Kairi to the garden. She frowned as she passed all the roses. She was once again reminded of Selphie. Sora sat her down on a white-painted bench.

"Why are we in the garden?"

"I just thought it'd be a nice place to give you something." Sora pulled out a small, purple, velvet box. "Here." He placed it in Kairi's hands and sat down next to her eagerly waiting for her reaction to what was inside.

Kairi stared at the box. Slowly she opened it seeing a shining golden ring inside. "Sora! You bought me a ring!" Kairi exclaimed pulling Sora into a tight hug. "Thank you so very much." She pulled away and started to stare at the ring happily. She couldn't believe he would actually buy her something like this.

"Well it's not just any ring, it's a promise ring. You see even if we never see each other again I'll always be with you as long as you have that ring. No matter where you are." Kairi smiled and put it on her left ring finger. She admired it.

"Thank you Sora, this is the best gift anyone has ever gave me." Kairi placed a light kiss on Sora's cheek. "You're the best."

Sora frowned playfully. "That's all I get for buying you a golden ring?" Kairi giggled and nodded her head. "That's not fair!" Sora laughed grabbing Kairi. "Now your punishment is to be tickled." Kairi yelped about to run away, but Sora grabbed her and started to tickle her relentlessly.

"N-No Sora s-stop! Please!" Kairi laughed trying to get away. Now she wished Sora wasn't so strong. Sora laughed watching Kairi squirm. "Sora-kun! S-Stop!"

"Do you surrender?" Kairi nodded. Sora released Kairi who was breathing heavily. He laughed again only to get tackled on the ground. "What are you going to do to me?"

Kairi chuckled. "Stop talking you'll ruin the moment," Kairi whispered. Sora blushed staring at Kairi. "Now close your eyes and count to ten." Sora did as he was told wondering what she would do to him at '10'. Kairi kissed him on his lips. Sora opened his eyes in surprise. Kairi smiled and pulled away. "Come on we better head back."

"Right." Sora was still in shock. He never knew Kairi was like that. He grabbed her waist pulling them closer together as the walked back to the entrance of the hotel.

"Still Sora, thanks for the ring. I'll wear it forever," Kairi stated holding it up in the moonlight. They went their separate ways once they entered. The two didn't want anyone to be suspicious.

* * *

In Wakka's room there was another mini meeting being held. All the boys were shirtless except for Axel, Pence, and Tidus. Roxas, Tidus, and Axel were crammed on Wakka's yellow couch. Wakka, Hayner, and Pence were sitting on his bed. Riku was leaning on the wall. "So your saying we run around in the hallway shouting Leon's trying to kill us all? And that will blow his cover?" Tidus asked holding back his laughter.

"Of course. Then he'll chase after us trying to deny it," Hayner replied proudly. The room burst in the laughter. "What! It's a good idea!"

"Yeah in your messed up dream world," Roxas added. Hayner glared at Roxas. "What don't you have one by now? Where you and Olette run around carelessly picking on every person you see?"

"Shut up!"

Axel sighed watching the two boys bicker. "Would you guys shut up and come up with a decent plan that might actually work?" Hayner and Roxas were quiet. "Thank you."

Sora waltzed into the room staring at all his shirtless friends. "Aww did I miss the party?" Sora pouted.

"Yeah, we didn't invite you because we figured you were already having a party with Kairi," Tidus teased. Sora blushed and scratched his head as if to say 'I have no idea what you are talking about.'

"Take a seat man, right now we're just thinking of ideas to expose Leon for what he is," Wakka explained. Sora sat on the ground staring at the other boys who were deep in thought.

* * *

All of the girls met in Yuna's room. While the boys were thinking of exposure ideas they were talking about something that wouldn't help them in the future. Boys. Unlike the determined actually responsible boys, the girls preferred to be immature and talk about boys instead of the plan that might help them prevent their demise.

"Did you see the way Riku danced?" Yuffie giggled trying to get the image out of her head but failing.

"Aww Yuffie stop bragging about your older boyfriend!" Rikku exclaimed throwing at pillow at the dreamy girl. Yuffie threw the pillow back making Rikku topple to the ground. Kairi and Dagger laughed.

"So let's talk about crushes," Olette said slyly. "Rikku you first!"

"What! Why me! I don't want to go!" Rikku cried. The girls eyed her. "Well it's a certain guy that's always in a bad mood."

"Not Seifer!" Naminé cried.

"No that's disgusting!" Rikku stuck out her tongue in disgust. "It's…Axel." Olette, Naminé, and Kairi fell on the floor in laughter. "What's so funny? Fine tell me who you like Naminé."

Naminé was lucky she was on the floor so nobody saw her blush. "I don't like anyone," she replied. "No one at all."

"Okay we'll tell Roxas that," Paine said standing up. "In fact I'll go tell him right now too."

"Okay! Stop it is Roxas." The rest of the conversation went on like this. The results were Rikku like Axel, Naminé like Roxas, Paine liked Pence _(A/N: How awkward), _and Olette liked Hayner. She still refused to tell the other girls about her and Hayner's secret relationship.

* * *

It was midnight. Everyone in the hotel was asleep. Except for one person who was creeping around, it was Leon. He seemed to be looking for something. He tiptoed towards Pence's door. Slowly he opened the door and crept through it. He spotted his glove on Pence's desk. He grabbed it swiftly and crept back towards the door.

_'Piece of cake.'_ He slid back through the door and quietly closed it. He ran back down the hallway disappearing in the darkness. He was unaware that yet another person was creeping around in the hallway too.

Morning came greeting all the teenagers that lived in the hotel. This morning had it's own surprises in store for a sad blonde boy. In his arms he was hugging something. Usually it would be his pillow, but today it wasn't. Tidus yawned opening his blue eyes to greet the day. He yelled falling off of his bed.

A little brunette girl popped out of the blankets hearing the yell. She crawled to the other side of the bed and saw Tidus on the ground rubbing his eyes. "Tidus, please don't make so much noise," she pleaded slowly stepping off the bed and sitting in front of him.

"Selphie, you're not real!" Selphie placed her finger on his mouth. He was surprised she actually didn't go right through him. Maybe this was an advanced type of mirage?

"Tidus please talk in whispers I don't want them to find me," Selphie said tears starting to fall down her face. She removed her finger and started to cry into her hands.

"Selph, don't cry." Tidus pulled Selphie into a hug. "Where have you been for the past two weeks?"

"It was so scary, they kept threatening me. And they shot at me with their guns. They said they were going to use me." Tidus scratched his head. 'What were they doing torturing her?' "But I escaped and went to find you."

"It's okay, I'm not going to let them hurt you, I promise," Tidus whispered stroking her brown locks. "So exactly who are they?"

Selphie shrugged. "They never showed me their faces or bodies, it was pretty weird," Selphie replied wiping her tears. Tidus stood up lifting her off the ground.

"I'll go get everyone okay, we'll all figure this out together," Tidus said. "Stay here okay." Selphie nodded watching Tidus leave the room to go get their friends. Selphie decided to take a look around his room. She saw the picture that they all took when they first got to the hotel. She giggled seeing Hayner's funny face.

"I'm telling you Tidus your just seeing things!"

"No she's real see for yourself."

"This better not be a cruel joke, I don't know if I can take anymore."

Tidus opened the door pushing their large amount of friends into his room. Everyone gasped seeing Selphie standing in front of them giggling at the group picture. Tidus closed the door and walked around the fallen crowd so that he was in front of them. "Who's crazy now?"

Kairi smiled running over to Selphie and tackling her to the floor. Selphie yelped hitting the ground. "Selphie!" Kairi cried happily.

"Kairi!" Olette, Yuffie, and Naminé joined in on the hug and the five girls jumped around happily as Kairi, Yuffie, and Selphie did on the plane ride. Sora smiled patting Tidus on the back. Tidus simply smirked.

The rest of the day was spent in Tidus's room talking to Selphie and discussing her tormentors. The sunset and nobody bothered to turn on the light. Selphie was still going through Tidus's belongings laughing at everything funny she saw. She came upon a beautiful silver ring with her name carved on it.

"Hey Tidus what's this?" Selphie asked putting the ring on her finger and holding it up in the moonlight. Tidus blushed grabbing Selphie's hand. "Well?"

"Umm a gift for my…aunt," Tidus lied.

"Your aunt's name is Selphie too!" Riku and Sora started to laugh uncontrollably. Riku walked over to Selphie and patted her on the back.

"Selphie, that ring is for you. Tidus is just too embarrassed to tell you," Riku laughed watching Tidus's face turn from its natural color, to pink, and then to red. Selphie giggled happily giving Tidus a hug.

She squealed which sounded like music to Tidus's ears. "Thank you!" Selphie cried happily. "This is never coming off not even if my finger has frostbite!" Tidus laughed nervously. Everyone started to laugh watching Tidus and Selphie. Sora walked over to Tidus but as he crossed in front of Selphie another dart hit him in his leg.

"I feel drowsy," Sora said before falling on the ground unconscious. _(A/N: -laughs- he got shot yet again)_ Kairi ran over to him lifting his body off of the ground.

"Not again," she mumbled supporting his weight with her shoulder. Tidus looked around wondering where the dart came from. Selphie whimpered removing the dart from Sora's leg. "What's wrong Selph?"

"It's the same as the darts they shot at me," Selphie said looking around the room anxiously. "Their coming to take me back."

Hayner laughed and patted Selphie on her back. "Your just paranoid, we all know its just Leon shooting those darts! That glove proved it," Hayner laughed.

"Yeah we can protect you from that grump," Rikku said reassuringly. Selphie put on a fake smile and sighed.

"Maybe your right, I shouldn't be scared," Selphie said putting her hands on her hips. "Besides! How would they know I was here anyway?"

"Right," Kairi agreed smiling at her friend. She was happy that Selphie wasn't dead as Cid said she was. It began to make her wonder, how those people got a hold of her. "Hey Selph?"

Selphie screamed pointing to the gun that was pointing in the window. Everyone looked at the window and started screaming with Selphie. Hayner grabbed Olette and held her in front of him trying to hide. Olette frowned and smacked Hayner. "Hayner!" she scolded.

Shadow people entered the room running everywhere. Tidus grabbed Selphie holding her protectively. Selphie screamed seeing someone grabbing her wrist. Tidus grabbed Selphie's other wrist pulling her back. The other person was stronger and now Selphie was being pulled out of the room regardless of Tidus's restrain.

Selphie pushed Tidus back.

"Selphie!"

"Tidus, I don't want you to get hurt!" Selphie disappeared into the wall still screaming as loud as she possibly could. Tidus stood there in awe. He pinched himself to make sure this wasn't just another dream of his; he was shocked when he saw that it was real. He had let Selphie slip out of his hand again.

"She went through the wall!" Vivi gasped not believing his eyes.

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Selphie's life is pretty creepy eh? I'd hate to be her. Promise rings are so cute I just had to make Selphie get one too. Still, shadow people, what am I on? Only a crazy person could concoct this! Hee Hee._


	24. The Last Game

_A/N: Okay folks this is the last competition! Wow I sound like Cid. How weird, but anyways it's the last one then we'll see who wins and if Leon will confess! You never know what could happen._

_Vivi: She went through the wall!_

_Me: You already said that…_

_Wakka: He's still in utter shock man_

_Me: I'm not a man…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts if I did I would rule the world! Well in a minor way anyway._

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Last Game

Kairi sighed wiping her tears. "She was right there!" she shouted in frustration. She held her face in her hands and sniffled. "I wish we never bought those Pepsi's! It's all Pepsi's fault!"

"Come on now, don't blame my favorite drink."

Kairi looked at her doorway and saw Sora, Tidus, and Yuffie standing there. She wiped her tears and sighed again. "I'm going to sue."

"How are you going to sue them? Are you going to say my friend disappeared through a wall because of your drink?" Tidus questioned. "That's really believable they'll think you're a nutcase and send you to the happy farm."

Yuffie sat down on Kairi's bed next to her. "It's alright Kairi, we just have to find a way to forget that's all," Yuffie said.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am, come on you can come with Dagger and I we're going shopping."

"All right." Sora and Tidus stepped out into the hallway.

"We're coming too," Sora said grabbing Tidus's wrist against his will and dragging him down the hallway behind the girls. They picked up Dagger and they were on their way to the shopping department.

* * *

Cloud and Aerith were having tea in the hotel's cafeteria. Cloud was simply staring at the dark liquid while Aerith was actually drinking it every now and then. "Cloud, what's the matter?" Aerith finally asked. It had been bothering her this entire time.

Cloud avoided eye contact with Aerith. She was always able to tell when something was on his mind or when he was depressed. He never really liked it, but at the same time he enjoyed being able to talk to someone about his problems. This time he didn't intend on telling her anything.

"Cloud."

"Nothing's wrong Aerith, I'm just feeling a little sick." He lied. He had just lied to the sweetest of all sweet women. What was wrong with him? How could he deceive Aerith? Now he would never forgive himself.

"Alright, I'll go buy you some medicine, you should probably go back to your room and rest." Cloud nodded standing up and walking out of the cafeteria leaving his teacup in Aerith's care. _'I hope he feels better later, he has been looking so burdened lately.'_

She sighed and cleaned up the teacups dumping them and throwing them in the trash. "I wonder what kind of medicine he'll need," Aerith asked herself. She shrugged and decided on getting pain reliever.

* * *

Sora, Tidus, Yuffie, Kairi, and Dagger were hanging out in the mall. They had split up and planned to meet at the center white bench at three o'clock. Dagger had found her way to a bookstore. She had always enjoyed reading other's work and judging it. She just never could get in touch with the author.

Tidus went to the sports store to check out the blitzball's. He planned on playing the sport when he got back home. His high school's team was best in the state of Florida. He wanted to be the best too.

Sora was dragged along on Kairi and Yuffie's little shopping spree and forced to carry all of the bags. Right now they only had three, but he was pretty sure it would turn into fifty momentarily. Especially since they had jacked his wallet.

"Sora you don't mind if we use your twenty dollar bill, of course you don't," Yuffie teased waving the dollar bill in front of his face. He glared at her with a good nature, but he was still angry.

Kairi laughed. "Stop teasing poor Sora-kun." Kairi smiled patting Sora's spiky brown head. Sora imitated a purr like he was a cat. Kairi laughed again, but her laughing ceased when she knocked someone down. "Oh I'm so sorry!"

"No it's alright." Kairi looked up and saw Zack with Setzer behind him. Kairi stood up and wiped off her clothes incase there was dirt on them.

Kairi sighed and grabbed Sora. Sora took this as a sign and grabbed Yuffie. "Bye!" Yuffie exclaimed being pulled down the hallway.

"Why are they so jumpy?" Setzer asked. Zack shrugged stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Maybe Tifa's right, they are losers."

* * *

Tidus was bored. He sat on the white bench that they were supposed to meet at and looked at the clock. It was two o'clock he only had an hour to waste. "What am I supposed to do?" Tidus stood up stuffing his hands in his pockets. He started to walk down the hallway aimlessly.

He found Dagger jotting something down on a piece of paper. "Hey Dag!" Tidus greeted walking over to her. Dagger smiled.

"Hey…Tid? Did you already finish your shopping?" Dagger asked surprised he hadn't bought anything. Tidus nodded leaning on the wall.

"What were you writing?"

"Oh I was just writing down my review for a book." Tidus cocked his head to one side. Dagger laughed. "It's just something I do, don't worry about it. Do you think the others are done?"

Tidus laughed. "Knowing those three Kairi and Yuffie are probably spending all of Sora's money." Dagger laughed. "We better go find them before Sora becomes a poor person."

* * *

Hayner and Wakka had created a life-size cardboard Leon doll. They stood it against the wall and gave each other high-fives. "Now for the games!" Hayner announced giving Wakka seven darts and keeping the other seven for himself.

The two boys started to throw darts at the cardboard Leon. Hayner got Leon in his throat, left leg, gut, chest, right arm, nose, and left ear. Wakka got Leon in his forehead, heart, private area, right leg, rib cage, right ear, and mouth.

"Your dead Leon!" Hayner shouted.

"Yeah you are so dead man, you didn't even know you were!" Wakka exclaimed laughing. Hayner just stared at him. "What?"

"Why am I dead?"

Hayner and Wakka froze. They slowly turned around to see Leon standing behind them. Wakka laughed nervously and shook his head in denial. Hayner jumped in front of the cardboard Leon.

"I-It's not what it looks like!" Hayner cried trying to hide it behind his body, now he regretted making the cardboard Leon so fat. "We were uh, playing darts and we found this in the trash!"

"Yeah the trash!" Wakka repeated.

Leon chuckled. "Whatever you say." He had a tint of sarcasm in his voice. "Just remember an elephant never forgets." After that remark Leon walked away still chuckling, leaving the boys quaking.

Once Leon was out of the sight they screamed and ran into the hotel. Wakka came back and kicked the cardboard Leon down. "I hate you!" he cried his accent taking over. Then he quickly ran back inside.

* * *

Naminé and Roxas were walking down the hallway. "So Roxas are you excited this is our last competition today?" Naminé asked happily. Roxas shrugged looking sad. "What's wrong Roxas?"

"It's just that after this competition it's over, and we'll probably never see each other again," Roxas explained in a melancholic tone.

"Oh." Naminé looked at the floor. "You live in Alaska and I live in Oregon, maybe we'll see each other some day. Along with all our other friends, I'm really going to miss them."

"Me too."

Naminé smiled sadly. "We should cheer up and make our last few days here be the greatest ever. I'm sure the gang will agree with us." Roxas nodded. "We should go tell them before the competition starts, I heard it was a relay."

"I always loved relays," Roxas joked. Naminé laughed walking towards the stairs.

The two blondes never got a chance to tell their friends the plan, unfortunately the competition started sooner than it was supposed to. Luckily, everyone was at the hotel. They met on the small track Cid and the leaders had set up for them. It was a perfect oval.

* * *

The teens were lined up in their groups. "Okay! Here's the deal, this is our last competition and it's a gender versus gender competition. Now we all now the rules first gender to finish wins and gets a gender point first team to win get a team point!" Cid said making a screeching sound in his microphone.

"Now get in your positions!"

The first runners would be; Kairi, Tifa, Dagger, Sora, Riku, and Pence. The second group would be; Naminé, Yuna, Rikku, Roxas, Seifer, and Vivi. The third group would be; Olette, Rinoa, Paine, Tidus, Wakka, and Zack. The last runners would be; Kairi once again since Selphie is no longer there, Fuu, Yuffie, Axel, Hayner, and Setzer.

"Okay! Ready! Set! Go!"

The first racers started their run. Riku and Tifa were fighting for the lead with Sora, Kairi, and Dagger directly behind them. Pence was in last place, he was good at science but not athletics. In each person's hand was a small yellow baton. They would pass it to the next runner once they finished a lap.

"Give up Tifa you're not going to win this round," Riku said. Tifa glared at him about to strike, but Dagger stuck out her foot and tripped Tifa. Tifa fell to the ground.

"See ya Tifa!" Kairi shouted laughing as she ran. She gave Dagger a high-five. "Good one." Tifa grumbled watching the four run away. She got off the ground and began to run, but Pence accidentally knocked her down.

"Oops sorry Tifa I didn't see you there," Pence lied leaving Tifa on the ground.

Now you could say it was friendly competition. Riku and Sora were tied for the lead with Kairi and Dagger tied for second and Pence alone for third with Tifa who was far behind them.

Sora crossed the finish line the same time as Riku they gave their second runners the baton and fell to the ground worn out. The next runners happened to be Roxas and Seifer. Cloud thought he saw sparks fly as Roxas and Seifer raced. Kairi handed the baton to Naminé and Dagger handed hers to Rikku.

Pence finally gave his to Vivi who was even slower than he was. Pence lay on the ground worn out from his small run. Once Roxas, Seifer, Naminé, and Rikku were halfway through the second lap Tifa crossed the finish line and handed it to Yuna. Lucky for their team Yuna was in track at her school.

Yuna passed Vivi and was getting caught up with the four who were ahead. Roxas and Seifer were shoving each other trying to get farther. Naminé decided that she would end it. She took him by surprise and kicked him in his back knocking him to the ground. Seifer growled watching the others get ahead of him. Yuna ran back kicking dust all over him with her fast feet.

Seifer still managed to be ahead of Vivi though. Roxas handed the baton to Tidus who immediately took off. Naminé gave hers to Olette who also ran away the second she received it. Rikku gave hers to Paine and Seifer handed his to Wakka. Yuna handed hers to Rinoa. A few minutes later Vivi handed his to Zack who planned to get ahead.

Kairi stood up and got ready to do the last lap. She was still worn out but she could handle it, she was slightly surprised that they weren't offered water. "Good luck Kairi," Sora said.

"Thanks Sora-kun."

Tidus and Olette were tied for first place. They didn't really care so much about getting ahead unlike the runners before them they were pacing themselves. Paine was a few feet in front of Wakka and Zack was a few feet behind. Rinoa was in last place.

Tidus gave the baton to Axel and Olette gave hers to Kairi. Kairi took a deep breath and followed Axel onto the track; she planned to keep up with him the rest of the way. Wakka had gotten in front of Paine and he crossed the finish line he handed his baton to Hayner who ran away.

Paine and Zack were fighting for the next place. Sadly, Rinoa ended up getting in front of them. She handed her baton to Fuu and sat down. Paine handed hers to Yuffie who had just eaten candy for an extra charge. Zack handed his to Setzer who waved at the girls before leaving. Zack rolled his eyes.

Axel and Kairi were tied for first place. Kairi was getting more tired as each minute passed. Axel was kind enough to stay with her, but this lead him to doom. Fuu ended up getting ahead of them with Hayner hot on her trail. Setzer still stayed behind he was more a charmer than a runner.

First one to cross the finish line was Fuu. Tifa's team had won the race. Second was Hayner who received congratulations from his teammates excluding Seifer. The third person to pass the finish line was Yuffie. Fourth was Setzer who had miraculously gotten in front of Axel and Kairi. Fifth was Axel and in last place was Kairi.

"Beatrix's team is the winner!"

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Last competition how sad. It's even sadder that Tifa's team actually won! They don't deserve praise, but she'll get what's coming to her I can assure you. Can you not wait for the next chapter. And yes that was poorly worded._


	25. Farewell

_A/N: Here is the new exciting scary chapter! And by scary I mean weird. I'm serious._

_Reviewers: Yeah whatever Aerith we all know you're never serious_

_Me: But seriously!_

Chapter Twenty-Three: Farewell

"Okay team follow me," Beatrix instructed leading Tifa, Rinoa, Yuna, and Fuu back towards the forest where they would meet the helicopter. Before Tifa left she made sure to leave her mark. She stood in front of Kairi and Yuffie who were already glaring at Tifa.

Tifa chuckled. "I just wanted to give you two something to remember me by," Tifa said. Without warning Tifa kicked both Kairi and Yuffie the ground. She snickered and ran after her team.

Kairi glared and picked up a rock and threw it at Tifa's head. With her marvelous aim she hit Tifa directly in the center of her head. Tifa glared and ran away. Sora was already by Kairi's side. He laughed helping her up. "Thanks Sora-kun," Kairi said.

Yuffie jumped up surprising Riku. "Eh? I've had worse," Yuffie laughed. "At least you guys won't have to deal with her at home, she'll probably turn into a monster."

"Don't worry Yuffie you'll be okay," Roxas assured.

"I guess we should start packing," Axel suggested folding his arms as Rikku stared at him batting her eyelashes.

The group nodded. "I'm sure going to miss you all!" Olette exclaimed linking arms with Kairi, Yuffie, Dagger, Rikku, and Naminé. "You are all like my long lost sisters." Paine refused to get in the hug it wasn't exactly her thing. The competitors soon started their walk to the hotel hearing Cid saying his thanks and what not.

* * *

"The girl is unconscious as you requested, what do you want us to do with the winners?"

"You heard him, kill them all. If one escapes he'll have your head."

"Right. What about the ones in the hotel."

"Use the girl as bait, and kill them too! You heard his lecture didn't you!"

"You actually listen to those things."

"Why you lazy good for nothing!"

"Hey look at the time I have to go!"

* * *

Kairi had her bags packed already. She never unpacked them. She sat on her two suitcases. She looked up at the ceiling. "This is it, I'm going home. Without Selphie, how am I going to tell her parents?" she asked the ceiling. Tears started to fall down her cheeks again. She shook her head. "No snap out of it Kairi, spend the last days with your friends and be happy." She took a deep breath and looked at her promise ring.

_'They'll always be with me.'_

* * *

Rikku and Paine were packing their bags. Paine was gathering all her clothes from her dresser. She looked over at Rikku and saw her sitting on the bed watching Paine. "Aren't you going to pack?"

"I'm already packed everything I brought is right here in this mini purse," Rikku exclaimed happily. Paine raised an eyebrow. She snatched the purse away and began to examine it. "No don't open it!" Paine opened it and all the clothes and everything else flung out covering the room.

"Rikku!"

Rikku laughed nervously. "I told you not to open it Paine."

"Clean it up now!"

"Y-Yes sir, I mean ma'am!" Rikku quickly grabbing a broom from her bag and began to sweep up her clothing. Paine sighed and shook her head.

"You embarrass me."

* * *

Sora, Riku, Roxas, Hayner, and Axel watched at Tidus was packing his things. The blonde hadn't even noticed his friends watching him mumble to himself and pack up his personal belongings. He picked up a picture of him and Selphie.

He sighed carefully putting it in a compartment in his suitcase. He was going to make sure that picture would stay safe. Tidus zipped up his suitcase and sat on it. He heard laughing coming from the doorway. He turned around and saw all his friends laughing at him. Wakka had just joined in and he was laughing for no reason.

"What's so funny?" Tidus asked embarrassed.

"Are you going to treasure that picture when you are old?" Sora asked curiously. Tidus frowned folding his arms. "What it was just a question."

"Whatever guys, come on let's go meet the girls in the game room."

* * *

The group was blissfully unaware of what was going on upstairs. They had met up in the game room to say their final sorrow-filled goodbyes before morning would come. After all it was already seven at night.

The boys watched at the girls had their tear-filled goodbye. Riku laughed occasionally. He never knew girls could be so entertaining. Sora was comforting Tidus who was once again in tears for his dear Selphie. Wakka was having his last chat with Hayner. Axel and Pence were talking about Leon. Roxas just had his eyes closed. He didn't want to see Naminé crying.

Kairi wiped her tears still in a hug with Naminé. "We should stop crying, I mean we have ways to contact each other, it'll be okay," Kairi said her voice still shaky from her crying. Yuffie nodded still letting her tears fall.

"But it won't be the same," Olette protested.

"As long as our hearts are connected we'll always be together," Rikku stated putting her hands on her hips.

"Is that something you got from a cereal box?" Paine asked.

"Yep!"

Kairi laughed. "Who's up for a round of DDR?"

* * *

Yuna screamed jumping out of the way of another chunk of the helicopter she had previously been inside. Dirt, blood, and ash were covering her face. The blood was dried up and on the side of her head where she had been injured during her fall.

_"Okay everyone buckle up," Cid instructed. The girls did as they were told and buckled extra tight just incase. Cid grinned. "This will be the ride of your lives." Yuna smiled sadly looking out the helicopter window._

_Cloud had been elected driver. Yet Yuna wasn't too sure about this. She was wondering why they didn't have a real pilot, but figured Cid was just too lazy to pay for one. Soon enough they were high in the air._

_"Oh girlies."_

_Everyone looked up and saw Cid holding two twin guns. Cid shot Rinoa in her head and pushed her out of the helicopter. Everything turned into slow motion. Yuna heard screams and shouting. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Cloud had stopped the helicopter propeller and they were now quickly descending to the ground. Cid kept shooting at the engine eventually blowing it off._

_Yuna opened her eyes only to see Cid pushing a screaming Tifa out of the helicopter. Tifa was trying to hold on to the side of the helicopter but Cid was prying off her fingers one by one._

_"Tifa!" Yuna shouted running over to Tifa. Yuna grabbed Tifa's collar and ended up falling out of the helicopter with the brunette. They screamed as they fell farther and farther down. Lucky for them the ground was only a few feet down due to the descending helicopter._

_Yuna heard a gun shot in the distance. She turned around and saw Fuu's lifeless body hanging out the side of the helicopter, before it crashed in the trees. Yuna and Tifa hit the ground making a loud 'thud' sound. Birds flew away from the site. Surprisingly Yuna was still awake and alive. "How am I alive," she gasped. She looked down and saw that she was lying on Tifa's lifeless body. She screamed jumping back._

_She had never wanted to ever see a corpse in her lifetime, but she had just seen three. She started running through the forest hearing gunshots coming from behind her. Tears ran down her dirty face. Suddenly she heard an explosion. She looked behind her and saw a chunk of metal about to fall on her. She quickly jumped out of the way missing it by a couple of inches. Now ash was all over her face._

_Her hair was singed and parts of it were sticking to her face. Her clothing was being ripped apart each time she passed a sharp branch._

Yuna was now lost. She looked around and saw the roof of the hotel. A small smile appeared on her face. Her lips were busted and looked redder than usual. She started running towards the hotel with only one thing in the mind.

Warn the others.

* * *

Kairi paid for yet another game of DDR. She watched as Olette and Pence started to dance on the machine. She smiled and sat on the floor watching the two. She would miss her friends. Sora sat down next to her and grinned.

"Don't feel sad Kairi," Sora said.

"How can I not, I'm going to miss you all so much." Sora smiled rubbing his hand in Kairi's hair messing it up. "Hey!" She frantically tried to fix her hair as Sora only laughed at her. She elbowed him in his gut causing him to bend over slightly. She stuck out her tongue.

Olette was beating poor Pence. He hadn't got a single good. He'd practically missed every step other than the few bads he had gotten. Olette was about to win when the power went out.

"Hey!" she shouted looking at the lights that were hanging on the ceiling. "What's going on?"

"Maybe this is their signal for 'lights out'?" Wakka suggested looking at his friends who only shrugged or shook their heads.

The group stood in the dark waiting for the lights to come on. A few minutes passed and still nothing. Instead they heard a scream coming from upstairs. It sounded all too familiar.

"Selphie!" Tidus exclaimed running out of the room.

"Tidus! Wait! You never it could be a…why am I still talking he's gone," Dagger said scolding herself. "I bet he doesn't even know where he's going."

"Nevertheless we have to figure out what's going on," Kairi said. Everyone nodded.

"Okay, we'll split up into groups of three searching the hotel for answers," Sora explained taking charge. "We're looking Tidus and the source of the scream."

"So who's going with whom general?" Riku joked.

"Kairi, Vivi, and I will be a group. Riku, Yuffie, and Pence will be a group. Axel, Paine, and Rikku will be a group. Naminé, Roxas, and Wakka will be a group. And Hayner, Olette, and Dagger will be a group," Sora said.

The groups set off in different directions to explore the hotel and find Tidus and/or the source of the scream. Kairi, Sora, and Vivi had gone upstairs to the girl's hallway. Even though all the girls were downstairs with an exception for Beatrix's team they figured they would look.

"Anyone here!" Kairi shouted making Sora put his hand over her mouth. She started to shout but the words she was saying were muffled. She looked up at Sora and put her hands on her hips.

Sora put his finger on his mouth. "Kairi, we can't be too loud we don't want anyone to find us," Sora whispered. Vivi agreed lightly tapping on all the doors they passed. Someone was bound to hear it and answer the door.

* * *

Yuna entered the hotel soaked from the rain. Now she was muddy and wet. Lightning struck lighting the hotel for a few seconds. "The powers out, oh no," Yuna whispered running out into the hallway. She bit her lip quickly letting go and wincing.

She wondered where the others would be. _'Maybe they are in Hayner's room to say their goodbyes?'_ Yuna thought. She decided to give it a try. She ran up the stairs bumping into someone. She heard a high-pitched scream from the stairs and instantly recognized it. Lightning struck again and she saw the faces of Rikku, Paine, and Axel.

"Yunie!" Rikku exclaimed giving Yuna a hug. Yuna groaned holding her side. "Yunie what's the matter I wasn't squeezing you that hard."

"I'll explain once we get out of the hallway."

"Let's go to my room you can explain there," Axel suggested leading the girls to his room, which was at the beginning of the boys' hallway. It was one of those good coincidences. Paine had to help Yuna up the rest of the stairs. She could feel the scratches and blood on her friend's body.

_'What happened to her?'_

_

* * *

_

_A/N: The criminal is revealed! Well to Yuna anyway. I hope she gets there in time to warn the others before they meet their doom. Who screamed? Was it Selphie like Tidus predicted before he ran off into the 'wilderness'? Or was it some other female, or maybe just a male who screams like a girl._


	26. The Sad Truth

_A/N: More drama for you. Isn't that wonderful, just kidding. I wonder if they are all going to be okay. And as a bonus this chapter is ten pages in Microsoft Word!4066 words people!_

_Sora: If you make me get hit with another tranquilizer dart I swear I'll murder you in your sleep!_

_Me: -laughs nervously- Uh no more coffee for you_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. –Sighs- :_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Sad Truth 

Axel kicked open his door. Rikku and Paine helped Yuna into the room and Axel locked the door for safety purposes. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't feel safe at all. It wasn't exactly a good feeling. Rikku sat Yuna on Axel's black couch.

Yuna took a deep breath. She had a lot of explaining to do. Would they believe her? "Listen, you have to get out of the hotel. Cid and the other leaders are going to murder you all, like they did Rinoa, Fuu, and Tifa. Even I barely escaped. We have to warn the others before they get killed! And also I'm starting to think the leaders are they ones who took Selphie away," Yuna explained.

"I knew there was something wrong about those leaders, they seemed too…fake," Axel said clenching his fists.

"We have to go tell the others!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Don't worry we'll all go together," Rikku said still maintaining her cheerful voice. Yuna nodded and stood up from the couch. "You sure you can walk on your own?"

"I made it this far didn't I?" Rikku smiled and nodded.

* * *

Naminé, Roxas, and Wakka were walking towards the cafeteria. They figured they would look there first. Their main goal was just to find Tidus and talk some sense into the blonde boy. Yet, it was easier said than done. First they checked the meeting area, but they didn't see anyone there. So here they were. 

"Do you think Tidus was found yet?" Roxas asked.

"No, he's too stubborn," Naminé replied.

"Yes like a donkey!" Wakka added.

They laughed. But their laughter was a little too loud. A dart flew by and barely missed Roxas's head. Naminé screamedcausing more darts flew towards them. Roxas grabbed Naminé and ran down the hallway following Wakka. The darts were following them down the hallway.

The three ran around the corner and slipped into the janitor's closet. Roxas held Naminé in his arms. He hoped to make enough room for Wakka. He looked at the bottom edge of the door seeing people's shadows. It looked like there were two people following them. The group was in a deadly silence; they heard the conversation being held outside the closet.

_"Where did those brats go?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Cid will kill us if we don't kill them, and I thought my team would be easy to find. Those girls aren't exactly the brightest of people."_

_"I don't really care."_

_"Maybe you should go find Aerith and Leon, they're probably wondering what's going on."_

_"Maybe, or you could do it."_

_"Why? I'm kind of busy trying to kill the brats."_

_"What do you think I'm doing?"_

_"Just do it Cloud!"_

Roxas heard retreating footsteps. They seemed to be walking back around the corner. Once the sound was gone he reached for the doorknob. Naminé grabbed his arm and shook her head. He could sense her fear. Maybe he should check before he opened the door? He bent down and looked through the keyhole to see Quistis still standing in front of the door with a butcher's knife in her right hand.

_'Let me make a mental note to thank Naminé later.'_

He watched as Quistis left down the hallway. Obviously she had stuck around to make sure Cloud left and to see if anyone would show up. Roxas let out a sigh and slowly twisted the doorknob open. He peered out the door and looked left and right. "Okay coast is clear," he whispered opening the door wider.

The three exited the closet. Naminé was still shaking in fear. She looked at Wakka and Roxas. "That means it wasn't Leon who was behind this, it was Cid…that means Cid has Selphie doesn't it?"

Wakka shrugged. "It might be another one of the leaders, but we should probably warn the others before jumping to conclusions," Wakka whispered. Roxas nodded.

"Let's go find them," Roxas said leading the three the opposite way that Quistis had went.

* * *

Riku, Yuffie, and Pence were exploring the boys' hallway. Yuffie was walking faster than the boys and poking her head into every room. So far all the rooms were empty. Riku was carefully watching Yuffie, making sure nothing happened to her. Pence was simply using his keen eye to watch for any of those tranquilizer darts or Tidus. 

Yuffie stopped at Zack's room. She gasped placing her hand over her mouth. She hadn't really known the two very well, but she didn't want to see this. It was horrible and inhuman. How could anyone in his or her right mind do that to someone? Riku and Pence ran over to the shocked girl. They looked into the room and saw the same horrible sight.

Zack was lying on his bed, which was normal for the black-haired boy. Except he had been shot in his head, blood was everywhere covering his clothing and his bed sheets. On the floor beside him Setzer had been stabbed in his neck with a steak knife? Regardless, he was dead on the floor surrounded by a small pool of blood. His blue, lifeless eyes still open.

Yuffie entered the room walking over to Setzer's fallen body. "Don't worry, your death will be avenged," Yuffie whispered closing his eyes. "I will personally make sure it is." She closed her eyes and put her hands together she started mumbling something. Riku and Pence were staring at the message on that wall. It was obviously written in Zack and Setzer's blood.

_To whom ever is reading this umm wall:_

_Your fate shall be the same as these boys. You can run, but you can't hide. We intend on getting every single one of you. And we do mean every single one._

Pence gulped. This was more serious than he thought. At first he thought it was just Leon playing a few pranks, messing with their minds. But it couldn't be Leon all by himself he must have had help. But who would help him? Then it hit him. The other leaders, they must be his accomplices.

"Leon and the other leaders are trying to kill us. This isn't a sweepstakes, they rallied us all here so we could be killed," Pence stated. Riku and Yuffie looked at him. Lightning struck the ground again lighting up the room and revealing someone in the corner.

* * *

Hayner, Olette, and Dagger were exploring the basement. Olette and Dagger stuck close to Hayner figuring the _'man'_ of the group would protect them, but Hayner was even more scared than they were. He refused to admit it though. 

"What do you girls think? Should we go back upstairs?" Hayner asked looking behind him at the wooden staircase that led to the first floor. He didn't exactly fancy the idea of being in pitch black on a stormy night with a killer roaming free.

Dagger shook her head linking arms with Olette. "No, we have to see if anyone's down here," she stated.

"Yeah Hayner, wait a second. You're not scared are you?" Olette asked slightly worried about her close friend.

Hayner laughed quietly. "Of course I'm not scared I have to protect you girls so there is not time to be scared," Hayner replied. He was a little relieved they were in darkness, that way they couldn't see him shaking. "Let's keep going then, just remember we know where the stairs are by the small light that is coming from the bottom of the door that leads to the first floor."

"Right," both girls replied.

* * *

Tidus ran down hallways, down and up staircases, and around rooms. He knew that scream came from Selphie. He was certain. He stopped in the middle of the hallway panting. He had been running non-stop ever since he left the game room. "Selphie where are you?" he gasped taking a deep breath. He looked around trying to determine which way the scream came from. 

Selphie pushed Tidus back.

"_Selphie!"_

"_Tidus, I don't want you to get hurt!" Selphie disappeared into the wall still screaming as loud as she possibly could. Tidus stood there in awe. He pinched himself to make sure this wasn't just another dream of his; he was shocked when he saw that it was real. He had let Selphie slip out of his hand again._

"I'm sorry Selph, but I have to find you," Tidus said staring at the ceiling. A chip of paint from the ceiling fell onto the ground. "What's going on up there?" He decided that he would figure out. He ran down the hallway searching for the nearest staircase.

After turning the corner and running to the end of the hallway he found one. He smirked and quickly dashed up the steps. He took a right and ran to the middle of the hallway where he found yet another hallway on his left. _'How come I've never been to this part of the hotel?' _Tidus thought running down the hallway on his left.

Lightning flashed showing Tidus the end of the hallway. He saw a body lying on the ground. _'Should I?'_ He cautiously approached the body. It was perfectly laid on it's back right in front of a large glass window.

He gulped wondering if this was a trap set up by Leon. He could be falling right into it. Lightning flashed again revealing the face. He gaspedand rantowards the body.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Vivi had left the girls' hallway unsuccessful. Kairi sighed as she shivered. The hotel's temperature seemed to be dropping as the hours passed by. She hadn't noticed till now. She looked at Sora who wasn't grinning. The usually happy brunette boy looked so serious. It wasn't natural. 

She looked down at Vivi who had a straight face. It was obvious the eleven year old was frightened. She patted Vivi's head. He looked up at her fright in his eyes. She smiled warmly. "It'll be all right Vivi, you'll see. Everyone will make it out fine. I'm sure of it," Kairi lied staring ahead of her. She was determined to make it out with all her friends.

Kairi was determined to figure out what was going on. Right now, she was convinced Leon was the cause of her grieving. She just wanted to kill him. He took Selphie away from her. He caused all of her friends' grief. It was his entire fault, and right now her hate for him was deeper than her hate for Tifa. Whom she was slightly worried about, she didn't know why. She just felt concerned. It was dangerous to fly in a thunder storm.

The three suddenly stopped. Kairi's heart beated faster. She felt as if it was going to pop out of her skin. She gulped feeling a sudden chill come over her. Vivi tried his best not to scream or run away. He was grabbed the end of Kairi's shirt for comfort. Sora narrowed his eyes stepping in front of Kairi and Vivi. He would protect them from…

_From the laughter? _

The three froze hearing the laughter. The mocking sound seemed to be getting closer. Kairi grabbed Sora's shirt and closed her eyes tightly. Sora looked around anxiously he clenched his fists. "Show yourself!" he shouted.

The laughter only grew louder. The glass windows beside them shattered. Glass flew everywhere. Kairi screamed making Vivi jump and hold onto Sora's leg. Sora growled shielding his eyes from the falling glass.

"Don't you hear me!" he shouted again looking around for the source. The wind blew into the hallway. He hadn't realized how strong it was until now. He felt himself being pushed back. He grabbed Kairi and Vivi. The three of them were sliding back down the hallway.

"Isn't anyone here?" Sora cried. His heart was pounding in his chest. He'd never been so scared in his life. What was going on? What happened to the happy sweepstakes? The smiling faces, competitive teens, they seemed so distant now. Everything was a mess.

He heard Kairi scream again. He snapped out of his thoughts and saw someone standing at the end of the hall. He squinted to get a better glimpse. The person was a blonde man; he was holding a gun in each hand. They were pointed towards them. Sora gasped and pushed Kairi and Vivi into the closet that was conveniently beside them.

"Stay in here and don't come out," Sora instructed kissing Kairi and quietly but quickly closing the door.

Kairi shook her head and tugged on the doorknob. The door wouldn't open. She panicked scaring Vivi who was beside her. "No Sora," she whispered trying to open the door. She heard Sora shouting and another voice. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it. She heard someone tug on the doorknob.

Vivi grabbed her and the two closed their eyes. They heard more shouting. It sounded like there was a struggle going on outside the closet. Kairi gulped bending down and hugging Vivi. Vivi returned her embrace. Someone kept tugging at the doorknob, she didn't know if it was Sora or the other person.

"_No!" _

Someone was chuckling. She heard a clicking noise. She instantly thought it was the door unlocking. She starting shaking, was this her end? Instead the door wasn't touched. Instead she heard several gunshots. Her eyes shot open.

She stood up. There was silence. No more pleas or struggling noises. Tears streamed down her face. _'No, I won't believe it! He's fine he's perfectly okay! He's fine! He's fine! Sora's unharmed!' _Kairi panicked. It was completely silent.

Vivi stared at the doorknob. _'Do you think? No, Sora wouldn't let that happen.' _Kairi's frantic banging on the door disturbed his thoughts. He looked up and saw a distressed Kairi pounding her fists on the door.

"Open the door! Sora! Open it! Please!" Kairi cried falling on the ground. "Open the door! _Please."_

* * *

Aerith and Leon were walking down the hallways calling out for the lost teenagers. Aerith was terribly worried. She had heard screams, shouting, glass shattering, gunshots, and other horrible noises. What as going on? Where were the other leaders? 

Leon was as equally worried. Why was the power off? It couldn't have been the storm, Cid made sure they had protection from that. The only way the power could be off was if someone went into the basement and manually turned it off. Could this be the act of a terrorist? He looked at his pink companion who was frantically calling out names.

"Aerith, if this is a terrorist attack we shouldn't be making so much noise," Leon advised. The brunette woman nodded using her finger to wipe a few tears that were falling down her cheeks.

She sniffled. "I'm sorry Leon, I'm just so worried. What if something terrible has happened to all of them? I could never forgive myself," Aerith explained.

"You could never forgive _yourself_? How do you think I feel?"

The two brunettes turned around to see Cloud standing behind them. Aerith smiled pulling the blonde man into a hug. "Cloud! You're all right. I was so worried about you. Where have you been? Have you seen any of the kids?"

Cloud had guilt written all over his face. Leon eyed him waiting for his answer. He was wondering why the blonde was so hesitant to answer Aerith's question. Was there something going on that he didn't know about?

"Aerith, you see. Cid, me, and the other leaders we're-."

"You're what?"

Cloud gulped. He didn't know how to tell her. She was the face of innocence. Aerith was the sweetest person he had ever met, and here he was about to hurt her. He would never forgive himself for this, but she deserved to know the truth.

"We're, hunting down the kids…and…murdering them," Cloud said turning away. He was so ashamed he couldn't even look at Aerith anymore. He felt her pull away. Cloud could feel Leon's cold eyes glaring at him. "I'm sorry." Cloud turned around and started to run away.

"Cloud!" Aerith cried. Cloud didn't stop, and he was soon gone from sight. Aerith broke down. "Cloud! Why!" Aerith's tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto the carpeted ground. Leon patted her on the back.

"We're going to find the kids, don't worry about that Aerith," Leon said. Aerith nodded. She turned around. "Let's go."

"Right, we'll find the ones who are still alive and take them out of the hotel," Aerith stated. Leon agreed and they continued their walk down the hallway.

Cloud was standing at the end of the hallway. He sighed. _'Now Cid's going to try and kill them too.' _

* * *

Axel led the way down the hallway. Paine and Rikku stood by Yuna. They didn't want their friend to suddenly collapse and hurt herself even more. Rikku feared for Yuna. Yuna was her only sister, the only family she ever had. If Yuna was gone she would be lost. 

"We should be somewhere around the cafeteria now," Axel whispered. He looked at the wall and noticed several tranquilizer darts sticking out of the wall. He wasn't aware that Roxas, Naminé, and Wakka had been chased here.

Rikku gulped staring at all the darts. "I wonder what happened here," she whispered being frightened by the large amount. Paine shrugged and Yuna only stared.

"I hope no one was harmed," Yuna said quietly.

They rounded the corner seeing a closet. Rikku smiled happy to see something in this hotel that wasn't damaged. The group continued to walk down the hallway, and the further they got the more they started to hear small whispers coming from in front of them. Rikku, Yuna, and Paine looked at each other. Axel squinted to try and get a good look at his surroundings. As hard as he tried he didn't see a thing.

_Thud _

"Their going to kill me, get them off Roxas!" Naminé cried. Axel had fallen on Naminé. Naminé had reached for Wakka pulling him down. The sudden scream had scared Rikku and she tripped over Axel's shoe pulling Paine and Yuna down with her.

"Naminé hush, it's just me, Axel," he said standing up. Roxas pulled the rest of the girls up. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're looking for Tidus, what are you doing here man?" Wakka asked scratching his head.

"We came to warn you, Cid and the other leaders are trying to kill us all," Yuna explained.

"Yeah we already knew from the conversation we heard between Cloud and Quistis, but we also heard that Aerith and Leon aren't helping. In fact they don't even know what's going on," Roxas replied.

Rikku smiled. "That's a relief, but I guess we should go tell the others then," she said putting Yuna's arm over her shoulder. Paine did the same. "I'm sure they would want to know who's trying to kill them."

The group of six all agreed and continued to walk down the hallway. Roxas stared ahead keeping an eye out for any threats. _'I hope the others are all right, I wonder what they are doing right now? Are they too looking for us?' _Roxas thought holding Naminé's hand protectively.

* * *

Yuffie frowned backing up. "So that's what you guys plan on doing? Killing us all? What's the point? Is there some unknown reward?" Yuffie questioned glaring at Zell who was slowly cornering her. 

"No, we just really hate kids," Zell explained loading his gun. "Hmm now what shall I do to you? I could knock you out with these darts or I could just shoot you."

"So you're the one who was firing the darts!" Pence exclaimed pointing at Zell.

Zell chuckled. "Who did you think it was? The boogie man?"

Riku growled. "You think you're so justified don't you? I'll bet you don't have anything else to do but kill kids you scum," Riku said. Yuffie smirked seeing Zell distracted. She kicked him in his arm. Zell winced dropping his gun. Yuffie picked it up and threw it out the window shattering the glass.

"What are you going to do now?" Yuffie asked in fighting stance. She eyed Zell preparing herself for an attack.

Zell glared. "This." Zell grabbed Yuffie's arm and threw her towards Pence. Yuffie grabbed Zell pulling him back with her. Pence quickly jumped out of the way sending Yuffie and Zell flying into the hallway. Yuffie jumped on Zell stomping on his face.

"You good for nothing blonde! I'd kill you but then I'd be no better than you," Yuffie said through gritted teeth. She kicked Zell in his rib cage and spit on his face.

Pence scratched his head. "Don't you think that was a little too much Yuffie?" he asked laughing nervously.

Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, but I've always wanted to do that!" she exclaimed happily. "Come on let's go before he gets up and seeks revenge."

"Yeah aren't you lucky his head hit the wall instead of yours," Riku chuckled following Pence and Yuffie out of the boys' hallway.

* * *

Hayner, Dagger, and Olette had gotten lost in the basement. They had tried to go back, but they couldn't see that little line of light anywhere. The three had wondered to far away. Now Hayner regretted putting on the tough guy act. 

"Hayner, did you hear that?" Olette asked grabbing his arm. "It sounded like someone's voice."

"No I didn't hear anything, did you hear something Dagger?"

"Nope," Dagger replied.

"_Hello!" _

"_Aerith no one in their right mind would come down here during a storm." _

"_Then why are we here?" _

"…"

"Did you hear that Aerith!" Olette exclaimed. "Aerith!" Hayner put his hand over Olette's mouth. The rest of the words she said were muffled. Dagger only stared at Hayner, she wondered why he wouldn't let Olette talk to Aerith. The woman was harmless.

"Olette is that you? Leon, someone is down here! We have to help them," Aerith exclaimed grabbing Leon and pulling him down the basement stairs. "Olette where are you!"

"We're right here!" Dagger cried grabbing Hayner and running. She didn't know where she was going, but she figured if she followed Aerith's voice it might lead them to the way out.

"Okay! You sound like your right in front of me," Aerith said more quietly. Leon shrugged walking back up the steps. He opened the door wide and light was let into the basement. Hayner, Dagger, and Olette were only a few feet away from the steps that led to the basement door.

Hayner laughed nervously. "Well what do you know, the exit was right in front of us," Hayner said letting go of Olette and Garnet. "I knew that all along…"

"Whatever Hayner," Olette laughed grabbing Dagger and running towards Aerith.

"I'm so glad you guys are all right, we have to get out of the hotel once we find your friends," Aerith explained looking at the three.

"Why?" Dagger asked. "What's going on?"

"We'll explain on the way," Leon replied.

_

* * *

_

_A/N: I ask you all to remember the title. It might answer some of your questions. Now for that weird summary thing that I always write! Why is Cid going to kill every teen that is in the hotel? Perhaps there is a better reason than what Zell told Yuffie? What happened to Seifer? Will Kairi and Vivi ever get out of the closet? Is Sora all right? All of these questions might be answered in the next chapter it depends how long I make it. Please submit a lovely review like these wonderful people. _

_**Kairi159, damaster123, Sora's Final Valor Form, dbzgtfan2004, imjackie, Khkid1312020, ImmortalBlueFlame, AznSnostuff, CherryDolls, Guan Ping is Cool, ScReAmofaBrOkEnAnGeL, koiree, Kaiora93, hanyou-samurai, H4ckerSephiroth, x3 its LJ, Riku'sgirl9295, KHPrincess31, and imp4ever**_

_You are all wonderful! Thanks! _


	27. Searching for You

_A/N: It's late at night. Perfect time for writing a story like this one! If only it was storming outside then I could really get in the mood, but oh well I should be thankful for what I have right now:_

_Kairi: Let me out of this darned closet so I can find Sora!_

_Me…umm right_

_Vivi: I'm cluster phobic…please let me out!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, but I do own this twisted plot!_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: Searching for You

Axel, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, Wakka, Roxas, and Naminé were walking down the hallway. First it started out as a simple search for Tidus and some answers. But now they had the answers, _they_ were out to get them. The leaders were out to get them. Now they were on a search for any living being in this hotel. That had to warn them all. If they didn't who would?

Yuna smiled half-heartedly. She was beginning to doubt that anyone had survived Cid's attack. She wished she'd never entered the sweepstakes. Yuna just wanted to be at home; she wanted to feel that wonderful feeling of security. She missed her house. She missed her bed.

Flashes of how Rinoa, Tifa, and Fuu died kept going through her head. She felt guilty. There was nothing she could've done to save them. Yet, she felt guilty. Why was this feeling of guilt in her? She hadn't done anything to anyone. If you excluded Tifa, maybe if Yuna hadn't fell out of the helicopter with her Tifa might still be alive.

Naminé squeezed Roxas's hand. He looked at her. He could almost see it written on her forehead 'Roxas I'm scared'. He didn't have the heart to smile. He simply squeezed back, but that was enough comfort for Naminé. It was all she needed. He was all she needed.

Wakka walked next to Axel. He could almost read Axel's mind. His thoughts were mostly surrounding Yuna's condition and the other's welfare. Wakka was just as worried as the red head was. If his buddy Hayner wasn't here anymore he didn't know what he would do. Just knowing your friend was murdered if enough to make you go insane. Now he knew how Tidus and Kairi felt everyday.

Lightning flashed lighting the hallway for a mere second before darkness fell over it again. Rikku gulped. "D-Do you think they're somewhere near here?" Rikku asked trying to keep her fear contained. She saw Axel shrug. "I hope they're all okay."

"Just think of the positives. We all know Sora will not allow himself or Kairi and Vivi to get hurt. We all know Riku and Yuffie can take care of Pence. Olette and Dagger will take care of Hayner. And the others are strong, they can make it through," Naminé whispered. "I just know they're all alive searching for us."

* * *

Tidus had picked up the body and left the hallway quietly and swiftly. He wasn't going to let any more damage be done. She was so fragile, yet strong. There was a fire burning deep inside her that could never be put out. He would make sure it continued to burn.

He looked down at her face. Her brown locks were covering most of her forehead. What had they done to her? Had they punished her for escaping? A smile crept on his face. He had finally found her, and he could talk to her. He was very well aware that she was light sleeper. Selphie would be waking up soon. He just wanted to be somewhere safe when she did.

He could have sworn he saw something pink walk around the corner. This meant two possibilities; it was either Kairi or Aerith. He ran down the hallway running around the corner. He smiled. There in front of him were Aerith, Hayner, Olette, Dagger, and…Leon?

"Guys," he called making them turn around. They all stared at him in disbelief. Olette's bottom lip quivered. She was safe, and so was he. Selphie was finally safe. Olette quickly ran over to Tidus giving Selphie a light hug.

She smiled trying to stop the few tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. "Selphie's all right," she whispered looking down at her petite friend. She looked behind her and saw Aerith running towards them with Leon right behind her. Leon took Selphie from Tidus.

Tidus frowned watching Leon check his girlfriend. He was still unsure about trusting the man; after all they had found his glove. Hayner patted Tidus on his shoulder. "Don't worry Leon can be trusted, he's one of the two leaders that actually aren't trying to kill us," Hayner laughed.

"What do you mean one of the two leaders who aren't trying to kill us?" Tidus asked. Since he had ran off without warning he was unaware of what was going on. He hadn't known the Leon was completely innocent and that the other leaders were out on a bloodthirsty manhunt.

Aerith smiled. "We'll explain while we search for the others," Aerith said.

* * *

Seifer ran down the girls' hallway. He was in a panic. Had the world gone crazy? Since when did Zell have tranquilizer darts? When did Beatrix gain a dagger? And why in the world were they trying to kill him? He didn't remember doing anything to them. He hardly even talked to them! Why?

Now he was going to help out anyone he saw in a tragedy. He didn't want to see anyone else die. He was lucky to have made it out of that room when he did or else Zell, Beatrix, and Quistis might have killed him like they did Zack and Setzer.

"_Please! Sora unlock the door! Sora!_ _I know your okay open the door!" _

Seifer stopped. He heard pounding on the closet that was in front of him. He recognized the voice. It was Kairi's. The auburn haired girl named Kairi that somehow strangely resembled Naminé.

"Hold on I'll get you out," Seifer called. He heard silence. Seifer began to wonder how long the girl had been in the closet. He unlocked the door and Kairi toppled to the ground. Vivi came rushing out. The eleven year old rushed to her side.

Vivi started to shake Kairi. "You have to get up Kairi," Vivi said his voice was shaky. He to had the same fear. Sora? Where was he? Kairi slowly lifted herself off the ground. She looked around and saw no sign of Sora.

"Sora?" she called her voice trembling. She searched the hallway for any sign that he had ever been there. But there was none. Kairi held her head. That couldn't be, because he was here. She saw him, and she knew she wasn't going crazy. "Sora, where are you!"

Seifer scratched his head. He looked down at Vivi who was watching Kairi. "We better go see if anyone else is around in the hotel," Seifer said as he cautiously approached the distraught girl. "With Cid and the other leaders trying to kill us who knows what's happened to others."

Kairi spun around. "What do you mean they're trying to kill us? Isn't it just Leon?" Kairi questioned her face looking more serious than it had before.

'_That means who I heard was Cid. It was his voice and everything. Did Cid kill Sora? No, Sora is still alive. I know it.' _

"Kairi?"

Kairi turned around saw Vivi tugging on her shirt. "What is it Vivi?" she asked. He smiled and shook his head. She looked at Seifer. "Let's go find the others then. They probably already know what's going on. But it's good to stick together." Seifer agreed and the three started their walk back down the hallway.

Vivi looked at Kairi. She looked sad. He couldn't blame her. If he were in her shoes he'd probably feel the same. Of course he'd never wear women's shoes. Regardless, he wondered what had happened to Sora. He was there, and then he wasn't. Sora's disappearance didn't explain the gunshot either.

_There wasn't a single drop of blood on the carpet._

* * *

Yuffie, Riku, and Pence walked inside the meeting area. Yuffie had never realized how scary the room was. Then again, it was a cold, stormy night without power. Not to mention the leaders were out to kill them. It was really a drag to be someone's prey, now Yuffie understood how antelope must feel when they are prancing away from lionesses.

Riku patted Yuffie on her head. She frowned at him and stuck out of her tongue. Riku smirked. He enjoyed bugging Yuffie. It was one of the only things that seemed to be normal. Riku really did miss the way things used to be, why couldn't the leaders act like normal people and not bloodthirsty psychopaths. "Pence, why are we here again?" he asked watching his friend explore the room.

"I just wanted to see if anyone was in here, but it looks like no one is," Pence replied turning to face the exit. Secretly that wasn't the reason. He remembered chatting with Cid about the safety of this building. There was supposed to be a back-up power switch in that room. But now understanding the circumstances Cid might've been lying about that. "We should probably get out of here. This is one of the rooms that have no extra escape." Yuffie nodded.

She quickly ran out into the hallway. _'I never want to see that room on a creepy night ever again, man does it look scary!' _Yuffie thought shivering. "Does it seem colder to you?" Yuffie asked looking at Riku and Pence.

"I guess when the power goes out that includes the heater," Riku said sarcastically. Yuffie glared at him.

"I wasn't asking for a sarcastic remark."

_Clink _

_Clank _

_Clink _

_Clank _

Chills went up Yuffie's spine. Her brain instantly started thinking negatively. _'That could be someone loading their gun. Or it be Morse code for let's ambush them! Or even worse someone could be banging his or her blade against the wall as a warning for I'm going to kill you in two seconds!'_

Riku noticed Yuffie's uneasiness. He pulled Pence and Yuffie back into the meeting area. Three heads peered out of the room. They wanted to know who or what was making the sound.

The real source of the clinking and clanking was Dagger's pen lightly tapping on the wall. She always carried a pen with her. "I think I'll write a book about this when I get home," Dagger said. She was talking to Leon. Leon shrugged. He wasn't so sure he would read a book with this topic. Then again if he already went through it the topic might be interesting.

"It's you!"

Dagger looked up only to be tackled by Yuffie. Dagger yelped hitting the ground. She was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "Y-Yuffie please get off," Dagger gasped for air trying to break free from Yuffie's arms. Yuffie was stronger than Dagger thought she was.

Yuffie pulled away. "Hey what are you doing here?" Yuffie asked looking at Leon with a suspicious look. Leon only held his head, it looked like this whole group of kids thought he was the 'bad guy'. He had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

"So what should we do with him Cid?" Beatrix asked looking up at the blonde man. "You pretty much scared him to death with your reckless shooting. You made the poor boy think you shot him in his head." Cid shrugged.

The boy they were talking about was Sora. He was alive, unlike what Kairi and Vivi were thinking. Cid hadn't really shot the boy. He had actually aimed for the closet but missed it by twelve inches and hit the wall. His aim was off that day.

Sora thinking the worse had backed out and fell on the ground. Cid had grabbed Sora and dragged him down the countless hallways by his ear, which was now a deep shade crimson, and laid him on the couch in his room. That way Cid could keep an eye on him.

Cloud entered the room seeing an unconscious Sora sprawled out on Cid's couch. He quietly closed the door and walked over to Cid and Beatrix. Cid looked over at Cloud and smiled. "So are Leon and Aerith with us?" Cloud shook his head. "That's just too bad, I guess we'll have to kill them too."

"Wait," Cloud blurted out. Cid and Beatrix eyed him. "…I know what you could use Sora for."

"Really? What?" Beatrix asked already willing to do what Cloud was suggesting. Even though she hadn't a clue what it was.

Cloud looked towards the ground. "You could use him to lower Kairi and his other friends into a trap," Cloud muttered. "Just like you used that girl Selphie."

"Speaking of Selphie, Beatrix why aren't you watching her?" Cid asked looking at Beatrix. She laughed nervously.

"About her," Beatrix said.

_------------------------_

_Beatrix was sitting in a small chair in the corner of the hallway. She had laid Selphie's body on the ground after making the poor girl scream. Now she was waiting for someone to fall into her trap. She was ready for anything. Beatrix had even drank coffee to keep her awake._

_Hours passed by and Beatrix began to get sleepy. Her eyes were getting droopy and she could hardly stay awake. What could a few minutes of resting your eyes do? She figured it wouldn't ruin the trap so she closed her eyes planning to only rest her eyes for a few minutes. But a few minutes turned into a few hours. _

_She was unaware that Tidus came by and found Selphie. He picked her up and ran back into the darkness of the hallway. He hadn't even noticed a sleeping Beatrix in the corner. _

_A half an hour later Beatrix woke up. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. She at the spot where she had laid Selphie expecting to still see her unconscious body, but instead Selphie wasn't there. Beatrix jumped out of her seat. _

_"Oh my god! She disappeared into thin air!" Beatrix screamed in horror wondering what she would do. Cid was going to kill her for falling asleep on the job._

---------------------

"And that's what happened." Beatrix smiled watching Cid grow angrier and angrier. Beatrix gulped expecting to be murdered here and now. Cloud looked towards the door. He didn't want to be around when Cid exploded.

He cleared his throat. "I think I'll go look for people in the hallways," Cloud said literally running out of the room so he could escape Cid's vengeance. Cid wasn't pretty when he was angry. Then again Cid wasn't ever pretty.

* * *

The large group of Naminé, Roxas, Wakka, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, and Axel continued to search the hallways for any sign of life other than themselves. All the odds were against them. They were in darkness, people were trying to kill them, the temperature was slowly dropping, and they were carrying an injured person. What else could possibly go wrong?

_Kairi_

_'No I'm just seeing things that wasn't Kairi! Wow this temperature dropping deal must be going to my head because I could've sworn Vivi and Seifer were following her,'_ Wakka thought scratching his head. Why was he even thinking about Kairi, Vivi, and Seifer? After all it should be Kairi, Vivi, and Sora.

"Kairi!"

Kairi stopped and stared at Naminé. "Naminé?" she said being pulled into a hug by the blonde girl. "By any chance have you seen Sora?" Kairi wasn't very hopeful, but if Sora was with her she would be extremely relived. Before she murdered the brunette that is.

Naminé pulled away. "No I thought he was with you and Vivi."

"That's what I thought too."

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Poor Kairi. Well at least her and Vivi are out of the closet. The closet of all evil! Let's just think of it, as a good way Sora's alive isn't he? And nobody else has died and Yuna is still holding onto the thread of life. Hers is a purple thread, lol._


	28. How Could You?

_A/N: Wow I've been out all day man oh well updating time. I would once again love to thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I'll actually be able to get a hundred reviews like way over the expectancy line. I didn't think I'd get any reviews guess I thought wrong! Thank you all so much! Seriously anything you need! Anything at all…well unless vicious thugs are chasing you down because you owe money. Can't help you there I'm broke **-laughs nervously-**_

_Anyway! Let's get to this chapter shall we._

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: How Could You?

_Sora looked around. He was in one of the many dark hallways in the powerless hotel. Two windows were in front of him. One was large and the other was small. They almost formed the shape of stairs. The brunette looked around fearfully. Something didn't seem right._

_"Sora."_

_Sora turned around and saw Kairi standing at the end of the hallway. Her auburn hair was covering most of her face except for the frightening blue, dilated orb that was her eye. It looked like it was staring straight into his soul. Sora grinned ignoring the eye._

_"Kairi! There you are! I was so worried somebody hurt you," Sora exclaimed relived. Kairi just stared at him with the same emotionless look. He noticed her skin was pale and she was dressed in black unlike her usual pink. "Kairi?"_

_"Sora, why aren't you here?"_

_"But Kairi I'm right here!"_

_"Why did you leave me?" Tears flowed down her pale cheeks dropping onto the carpeted ground. "Sora!"_

_Sora frowned. She didn't see him. "Kairi I'm coming!" he shouted before running towards her, but the hallway only seemed to get longer as he tried to reach her. She was drifting farther and farther away. "Kairi!" He reached out for her trying to grab her arm._

_Her arm lifted and reached for his hand. Sora grinned he knew he would reach her now. Their fingers touched. Sora reached out for the rest of her hand, but suddenly everything went dark. He was falling into darkness. He heard Kairi scream._

"Kairi!" Sora jumped up. He frantically looked around searching for Kairi. Then it hit him. He remembered he pushed her and Vivi in the hallway closet, but why wasn't he in the hallway? Instead he was sitting on a oddly comfortable black couch. He stood up and looked around.

"Where am I?"

He heard chuckling from behind him. He turned around and saw Zell. "Zell! What's going on? Why is the power out a-and where's Kairi…and why are you laughing at me?" Sora questioned raising an eyebrow.

"I suggest you cooperate, Cid doesn't like party poopers," Zell advised grabbing Sora's arm roughly. Sora glared at the blonde man and started to struggle.

"Where are you taking me?" Sora asked in his demanding tone. Zell was dragging him towards the door. "Answer me!" Sora shouted reaching out for something to grab.

"You want to see your dear Kairi don't you?"

Sora stopped and let himself be dragged. He was confused. "How did you know?"

"How could I not know? Whenever the girl isn't around you're talking about how 'hot' she is and how you wish you could-" Zell was interrupted.

"Okay I get it."

* * *

"So when do you think she will wake up?" Yuffie asked as she stared at Selphie's face. "Do you think she'll wake up soon?" Tidus shrugged. Yuffie frowned, a shrug wasn't good enough for her she needed a yes or no or something of that nature.

"Selphie probably needs her sleep after all she's been through," Tidus replied. Yuffie nodded.

"Are you calling me fragile?"

"No of course not you're strong."

"You're not assuring me."

"Well what do you want me to say?"

"Oh Selph you're the strongest person I ever met I love that in girls like you but only you because you're the only girl that I could ever love in the whole entire world."

"Fine…Oh Selph…wait…Selphie!" Tidus exclaimed looking down at the smirking brunette. Selphie waved. Tidus pulled her into a hug. "Don't ever pull that creepy disappearing act ever again."

Selphie giggled. "Don't worry Tidus I don't think they'll mess with me anymore after they saw your display of strength when you fought them to save me. Right?" Selphie asked. She hadn't known how he really saved her.

"Uh yeah of course." Tidus put her down. "But we still have to find the others before the leaders kill them."

"Before the leaders kill us? What do you mean?" Selphie asked.

Tidus chuckled. "They're the ones who kidnapped you, and now they are hunting us down and killing us just like in a horror movie," Tidus explained. Selphie scratched her head.

"Wow they must be really mad at us," Selphie stated.

"Selphie?"

"Kairi!"

The two girls embraced each other happily jumping around. Aerith smiled watching the happy reunion. It looked like all the survivors were here now. It didn't take as along as she thought it would.

"Selphie, I'm so glad you're alright," Kairi said pulling away from her friend. "I was so scared and worried when you disappeared through that wall. I didn't know what to do think." Selphie chuckled.

"If I saw you go through the wall I would think I was loosing it," Selphie laughed.

"Is Sora with you?"

Selphie looked at Tidus who shook his head. Kairi let out a heavy sigh. She would just have to accept the fact that he was gone. Selphie patted her friend on her shoulder. Kairi put on a fake smile.

"It's okay, I'll get over it. Let's get out of here," Kairi said looking at the others. Aerith and Leon looked at each other.

"We're going out the back entrance," Leon said. "I'll lead the way." Leon started walking down the hallway.

"Come on, after we get out of here Leon and I will try to get a hold of your parents," Aerith stated before following the brunette man. She still felt the pain of hearing Cloud's words. Why would he do something like that? What happened the nice Cloud that she had met several years ago?

The group followed Leon down several hallways until they finally reached the glass doors. Leon quietly opened the left door and motioned everyone out. Quietly everyone tiptoed out of the hotel trying not to be heard or seen. They were unaware that someone was waiting outside for them.

Kairi exited the hotel and started to walk down the rocky trail. Her thoughts surrounded a certain brunette boy. Was he really gone? How could he just leave her like that? She knew it was for her own good, if it wasn't for him she probably would have been murdered with Vivi in that closet. But why did he have to die?

Her auburn locks dropped in front of her face. How would she live without him? He meant everything to her. She clenched her fist. 'I'll avenge you Sora, I promise.'

She hadn't even noticed that she had walked past everyone. Kairi was in front of everyone including Leon and Aerith. She was unprotected, anything could happen to her.

_Anything_

"Kairi."

Kairi looked up and saw those cerulean blue eyes. She gasped covering her mouth with her right hand. Sora smiled sadly. "Don't look at me that way," he pouted. Kairi uncovered her mouth. She was still in shock.

"Y-You're alive, but I heard…and the gunshot! You disappeared!" Kairi gasped pulling him into a hug. "You scared me! Don't ever do that again!" Sora pulled away and held her by her shoulders. He couldn't do it, he wouldn't endanger her and the others anymore.

"Kairi! You have to warn the others! Tell them to run Cid and the others are going to-."

"Sora!"

Cid grabbed Sora by his collar and threw him to the ground. Kairi gasped about to run to his side but someone grabbed her arm. She looked up and saw Quistis. Kairi screamed struggling to get away.

"Let me go!" Kairi cried. She stomped on Quistis's foot causing the blonde women to let her go. Kairi quickly ran over to Sora. "Sora." Sora stood up. Beatrix, Zell, and Cloud had joined in on the fun. Sora and Kairi were surrounded.

Cid looked at his companions. "Zell, Cloud you go take care of the others," Cid instructed. The two blondes nodded and quickly ran to find the rest of the group. Cid smirked and lifted Sora by his collar. "You thought you could get away with betraying me and save your girlfriend eh? Well you thought wrong."

Sora frowned. "I never think," he spat. Cid raised an eyebrow and felt something cold and wet hit his face. Sora had just spit on him. Cid dropped the brunette yelling and rubbing his face with his shirt. Sora grabbed Kairi. "Come on let's get out of here!"

Kairi nodded and ran away with Sora. Beatrix and Quistis sighed watching Cid squirm. They looked at each other and shrugged. They started to chase the retreating teens. Cid wouldn't mind.

* * *

"Cloud! You can't!" Aerith cried jumping in front of the blonde man. "I won't let you kill these children!" Cloud frowned.

He looked towards the ground. The guilt in his heart started to rise. Whenever he thought of her he always felt a pang in his heart, and now he was seeing her. Would the pain ever cease?

"Aerith move…or else…I'll have to hurt you too," Cloud muttered. He heard Aerith gasp, but he didn't hear her move. Why did she always have to be so stubborn? "Please just move."

Aerith felt hurt. Why was Cloud doing something he knew was wrong? "Cloud please come to your senses! Can't you see what your doing is wrong? If you have to do it kill me, because I don't think I could bear to watch you, so strike," Aerith said spreading out her arms.

Cloud put his gun to her head. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. Only a few months ago he was somewhat happy with her. He was in love with her. And now here he was about to kill her. Cloud dropped his gun.

"I won't do it."

Aerith smiled. "Cloud, thank you," she said pulling him into a hug. "I knew you'd make the right decision."

Why did she always have to do that? She could always make him change his mind about anything. Could all women do that? He smiled. Cloud couldn't help it, he just felt so happy right now.

* * *

"No I won't let you hurt her again!" Tidus exclaimed holding Selphie in his arms protectively. "You'll have to kill me before you lay a hand on her!"

"Will do," Zell replied loading his gun. Tidus and Selphie had run far. Zell had chased them all the way to a cliff. They weren't at the edge so Tidus thought they still had a chance to get away or even push Zell off the cliff.

Tidus gently pushed Selphie away. "Run," he whispered, "I'll be fine." Selphie reluctantly nodded and ran behind a tree that was near. She decided she would watch and take action if anything she didn't like happened.

"So you thought you could get away from Zell," Zell said referring to himself in third person. "Well you thought wrong kiddo, and people who are wrong have to pay the price." Tidus smirked.

"I'm sorry I don't have any money," Tidus replied sarcastically.

Zell growled. He started shooting at Tidus. Tidus luckily jumped out of the way of the machine gun so he wasn't harmed. He heard Selphie scream. Before he knew it the petite blonde girl was on Zell's back pulling his hair.

"You leave him alone monster!" Selphie cried. Zell yelled in frustration. Now his hair was messed up. No one messed up his hair without answering to him. He grabbed her arm and threw her on the ground. He pointed his gun at her.

"Time to die brat!" he shouted about to pull the trigger. Out of nowhere Dagger ran and shoved Zell making him miss the shot. Selphie smiled jumping to her feet.

"Good one Dagger!" Selphie exclaimed happily. Dagger gave her a thumbs up. Tidus hadn't realized he was already at the edge of the cliff. Zell had landed only a couple of feet away. Tidus slid his foot back and felt no ground. He looked back and gasped.

Zell smirked. "Goodbye!" he shouted reaching out to push Tidus off the edge, but Tidus fought back. He punched Zell in his face before falling off. He grabbed edge saving himself. Zell chuckled. "It would be a shame if your fingers were in so much pain that you just happened to let go."

Tidus glared watching Zell stomp on his fingers. Tidus flinched he didn't know how long he could hold on.

_Selphie, please forgive me_

Everything went black.

"Tidus!" Selphie screamed running over to edge. She reached out for the falling blonde, but he was already too far down. "Tidus!" Tears fell down hitting the brown dirt. "No! Tidus! You weren't supposed to let go!"

The only thing Zell could do was laugh. He was laughing at her agony. To him it was hilarious. Zell only looked out for one thing, and that was himself. Selphie's eyes darted towards him.

"You jerk!" she cried kicking him in his gut. "I'll never forgive you!" Zell lost his footing. He started screaming as he felt himself tumble off the side of the cliff. Dagger frowned grabbing Selphie's wrist.

Selphie only cried more. Tidus he was gone, and not only temporary. He was gone forever.

* * *

_A/N: Sad chapter. Poor Selphie hasn't she been through enough already? Then again things aren't always what they seem. Since it's so sad and slightly depressing and makes you want to kill your dear author Aerith I'll give you a small preview for the next chapter so maybe some of your anger will go away and I won't be harmed as severely._

_"Why do we have to leave out in the wilderness?" Hayner whined throwing firewood into the blazing fire._

_"That is the tenth time you've said that. Hayner can't you just shut up!" Sora exclaimed throwing more firewood into the flames._

_Hayner growled. "No! I just hate this! Don't you hate it too?" Hayner yelled tossing in more firewood._

_"Of course I do but at least I'm not a whiny baby like you!" Sora shouted throwing in more firewood._

_"I'm not a whiny baby!" More firewood was tossed in._

_"Are too!" Even more firewood was tossed in._

_"You think you're so cool don't you?" More firewood._

_"At least I'm cooler than you!" More firewood._

_"Kairi isn't that hot man!" More firewood._

_"She's hotter than Olette!" More firewood._

_"Take that back!" Hayner tossed in more firewood. Now the flames were tall. They started spreading onto the rest of the campsite. Sora stopped bickering with Hayner and turned his attention to the flames._

_"H-Hayner," he stuttered. Hayner turned around and gulped. "Wasn't there flammable oil over there?"_

_"Uh-oh."_


	29. Camp Tradegy

_A/N: Now I shall attempt to brighten the mood with the wonderful thing that people call 'humor'. I'm sure you are all sick of hearing of death and all that awful stuff so now we shall get a little crazy!_

_Sora: You're not going to make us get drunk are you?_

_Me: Of course not…besides where would you get the drinks?_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts!_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Camp Tradegy

Dagger lifted the mourning Selphie from the ground and gently started to lead her back to the others. Knowing the rest of the group they were probably already on the floor dead because they either acted like a smart mouth or simply became vulnerable. What a weird group of friends she had. But regardless she loved them with all her heart.

Unlike what Dagger thought there was actually no chaos. Cloud, Aerith, and Leon were simply talking to the teens about what they would do for the next week or so. They needed to make a plan if they were going to avoid the other leaders. Kairi still hadn't come back and Aerith was beginning to worry. She was even starting to blame herself.

_'I should have kept a better eye on her. How could I not see her wander off? She is the only with auburn hair. Now I'll never forgive myself. What if she was killed? I should go look for her after we get the other kids safe, I can't endanger them as well.'_

"So are you sure we can trust Cloud?" Yuffie asked eyeing the blonde man. "Because you know he did try and kill us and everything. He might just be pretending to be helping us when really his plan is to murder us in our sleep!"

Riku chuckled. "Someone's a little paranoid," he joked. Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't we find a place to make camp?"

"Good idea follow me and I'll-."

Sora and Kairi ran into Leon only making him slightly stumble forward while the two fell on the ground. "Well look what we have here," Leon joked helping Kairi up while Sora stood up on his own. "I'm guessing you're being followed."

Kairi nodded quickly. "B-Beatrix and Q-Quistis," she stuttered trying to catch her breath. She still very tired, she had never run so much or so fast before. Aerith was relived to know that Kairi was all right. Now she was mentally blaming herself for having such negative thoughts. Though he looked forward to hearing the story of how Sora got there.

Dagger and Selphie joined the group unnoticed. Selphie had calmed herself and dried her tears now she only hoped that no one would notice Tidus wasn't with her. She didn't want to speak of his death ever. So she planned to avoid the subject, unless she was talking to Kairi. That was the only person she wanted to talk to right.

"We should get moving then," Cloud said. Leon and Aerith nodded. Leon started to walk down the forest path. Aerith stayed with kids while Cloud stayed at the end making sure nothing was following them. Their campsite had to stay secret. Or else they could all be murdered in their sleep like Yuffie had said.

A few minutes later after the large group had left the spot Beatrix and Quistis reached where they had just been. Beatrix growled. "They got away," she pouted falling onto the ground. "Now Cid'll be steamed. We let him down again."

"Do you think Zell and Cloud got to the other kids in that group?" Quistis asked noticing the blonde men weren't there.

Beatrix shrugged. She didn't exactly have confidence in Zell; he would probably end up getting himself killed by one of the little brats. He was that stupid. Little did she know that was case. "Come on Quistis let's go see if Cid got that spit out of his eyes yet."

"I did thank you very much! Now we must kill that spit bag! I'll teach him to spit on Cid the Valliant's eyes!" Cid proclaimed. Beatrix and Quistis looked at each other, they burst into laughter. "What?"

Quistis wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Since when did you become valiant? As far as I remember you were the one who cowardly sat in the corner while we did all the killing all you did was threaten and make plans!"

"Or shoot absent-mindedly at the wall!" Beatrix added recalling how he scared Sora to death.

Cid frowned and pulled out his microphone. "At least it respects me," Cid said happily rubbing his microphone. A loud screeching sound emitted from the microphone.

Quistis laughed again. "Even your microphone disagrees with you!" Cid pouted and stuck out his tongue at the laughing blonde woman. "Regardless we should go search for those brats."

"He just doesn't want to be embarrassed anymore," Beatrix whispered nudging Quistis.

"I heard that!" Cid shouted angrily.

"I know that was point of saying it."

* * *

Leon had led the group to a small patch of emptiness in the forest. Surprisingly there were tents already set up and a small campfire had already been started. It was almost like someone had been expecting them. Leon scratched his head. It was a very strange coincidence. "Well this is odd but we'll take it."

Aerith nodded. "I only wish we could thank the person who set this up for us. If only we could repay their kindness," Aerith said putting her hands together. "Now we're all going to split into groups and find some essentials."

"I'll take Sora, Hayner, Axel, and Pence to go searching for firewood," Leon said motioning the boys he picked out to follow him.

"Naminé, Roxas, Olette, Pence, Yuffie, and Dagger will come with me to search for food," Aerith said leading the group away from the campsite. Cloud simply sat on the ground as if to say 'I'll stay here with the others'.

Paine and Rikku gently sat Yuna on the ground. "Yunie how are you feeling?" Rikku asked watching her friend examine her many wounds.

Yuna smiled sadly. "I'll be fine I just wish I wasn't such a burden to you guys. You've had to help me walk and watch after me this entire time."

Paine shook her head. "Yuna stop pitying us, we're strong and there's nothing wrong with looking out for a friend who can't take care of herself."

Rikku giggled. "Paine you're making her sound like a cripple!" she exclaimed lightly punching Paine's arm. "Don't worry about it Yunie you're our family and together we make that weird group called the Gull wings that we made up when we were only ten!"

"It's not weird," Yuna pouted sticking out her tongue. The three laughed at their own stupidity.

Hours passed by and Cloud had fallen asleep. He had had a rough day so no one could blame the blonde man they simply let him sleep and planned to wake him up if anything terrible happened. So far nothing interesting had happened. Kairi and Selphie were just simply talking when Selphie couldn't take it anymore.

"Kairi! I'm not okay! I'm broken on the inside b-because Tidus he was pushed off of a cliff by Zell!" Selphie exclaimed trying to keep her voice down, but the tears were coming back. Kairi pulled the crying brunette into a hug.

"Don't worry Selph it'll all be okay," Kairi coed trying to console her best friend. "Tidus were never die knowing he was leaving you behind I'll bet he's out there now searching for you."

Selphie looked up. "Do you really think so Kairi?" Kairi nodded. "Thanks Kairi you know exactly what to say don't you?"

Kairi laughed. "Well I don't want to brag but…yeah I'm the greatest."

"Right after me of course." Selphie stood up and did a little pose. "Everyone knows that I'm far more better than you."

"Yeah in your messed up dreams!" The girls giggled.

Hayner and Sora had been told to take some of the firewood Leon's group had collected back to the campsite. So they did what they were told and walked all the way back to camp having a small conversation on the way.

The two boys quietly passed a sleep Cloud and made their way to the fire. Sora stopped in front of it and dropped his firewood. Hayner did the same and sighed.

"Why do we have to live out in the wilderness?" Hayner whined throwing firewood into the blazing fire.

"That is the tenth time you've said that. Hayner can't you just shut up!" Sora exclaimed throwing more firewood into the flames.

Hayner growled. "No! I just hate this! Don't you hate it too?" Hayner yelled tossing in more firewood.

"Of course I do but at least I'm not a whiny baby like you!" Sora shouted throwing in more firewood.

"I'm not a whiny baby!" More firewood was tossed in.

"Are too!" Even more firewood was tossed in.

"You think you're so cool don't you?" More firewood.

"At least I'm cooler than you!" More firewood.

"Kairi isn't that hot man!" More firewood.

"She's hotter than Olette!" More firewood.

"Take that back!" Hayner tossed in more firewood. Now the flames were tall. They started spreading onto the rest of the campsite. Sora stopped bickering with Hayner and turned his attention to the flames.

"H-Hayner," he stuttered. Hayner turned around and gulped. "Wasn't there flammable oil over there?"

"Uh-oh."

Kairi jumped up seeing the flames around her. She saw Sora and Hayner helping Paine and Rikku aid Yuna. Kairi grabbed Selphie and ran over to the group. "Sora what's going on?" Kairi shouted.

Sora laughed nervously. "Well Hayner and I fed the fire too much firewood and now it's burning," he laughed, "Isn't that funny?" Selphie and Kairi glared at the laughing brunette.

"No," Selphie replied.

"Oh…"

"Cloud wake up!" Wakka cried shaking the blonde man. "The camp is on fire and we have to get out of here!"

Riku cracked his knuckles. "Wakka let an expert do this," Riku said shooingWakka away.Wakka frowned but reluctantly backed up anyway. "Cloud! The camps' on fire and Aerith is being burned alive!" he shouted. Cloud jumped up and looked around.

"What!" he exclaimed regaining his stance. "What happened here?"

"Sora and Hayner were being idiots and set the camp on fire," Paine said coldly. All eyes were now glaring at the two boys.

Yuna chuckled. "Can we just get out of here before we all turn into ash or liquid?" Yuna asked.

Cloud nodded and carefully led the teens out of the campsite. He had the find Leon and Aerith and tell them the situation. If they didn't find another place to camp out for the night they would become fatigued and be vulnerable for attacks.

He didn't want to see anyone else die. Maybe if he helped he could forgive himself for killing the other children? Cloud sighed.

* * *

Two men were walking around in the forest. They were both dressed in black suits. One was dark skinned and wore black sunglasses and was bald. The other had light skin and red hair with an earring in his left ear.

"So Rude where do you think these vicious killers are since that hotel was evacuated and everything?" the red head asked kicking a small rock he had found a couple of hours ago. It was keeping him slightly entertained.

Rude shrugged. "I'll bet they're somewhere around here in the forest by the looks of it," he said seeing many trees leaning over. Then he saw something lying on the ground. "Reno look at that."

Reno looked ahead and saw the object. As the two approached it he could tell it was a blonde haired man. He looked to be in his early twenties. He noticed the tattoo on his cheek and the black clothing he was wearing. Beside the man was a tranquilizer gun. He soon recognized it to be the body of Zell one of the most wanted killers in North America.

"It's Zell!" Reno exclaimed.

_ARRRRRGHH_

Reno and Rude looked around for the source of the noise. It obviously hadn't come from Zell he was dead, so where'd it come from? Reno looked up in one of the threes and saw a blonde teenage boy rubbing his head.

"Hey who are you!" Reno exclaimed pulling out his gun and aiming at the suspicious boy. The boy's eyes widened.

"I'm Tidus!"

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Reno and Rude have entered the story and if you don't recognize them they are characters from Final Fantasy VII A.K.A seven. But the important part is Tidus is alive just like Kairi predicted of course he isn't searching for Selphie because he just woke up but that isn't important: Anyways leave a review if you can!_


	30. Return of the Bother

_A/N: My first fan-fiction will be coming to an end soon. How sad, it seems as if it was only yesterday when it started. I'm so attached to it now what will I do without it **-cries-**_

_Lol, well anyway on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts!_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Return of the Bother

"Tidus eh? So Tidus are you an associate of Zell's?" Reno asked watching Rude help the blonde teenager down from the tree. "Are you also killing off children and selling their bodies for money?"

Tidus gasped. "So that's what Cid is planning! He's making money off of our dead bodies that sick old man! Well I'm sorry…umm whomever you guys are I really have to go! Selphie's probably worried sick now!" Tidus exclaimed waving goodbye he was about to run off into the forest when Rude grabbed his collar.

"Where do you think you're going we have some questions for you," Rude said sitting him on the ground. "Now tell us your story."

"Well I came here because I won a sweepstakes for a trip around the world, or something like that. So Cid put us in these competitions and what not to compete for the so-called prize, about halfway through my girlfriend Selphie supposedly dies from an asthma attack! Then I find she wasn't dead and that Cid and his crew kidnapped her! And they shot tranquilizers at my friend Sora! Then they cut the power out and all of us escaped with the help of Aerith and Leon but Zell chased me and Selphie to the edge of that cliff we put up a fight but he pushed me off of the edge and now I'm here!" Tidus exclaimed taking deep breaths between each sentence.

Reno and Rude looked at each other. "So this girlfriend of yours describe her for us," Reno said he appeared to be taking notes in his tiny notepad.

"Okay she has green eyes and-."

"No! I meant is she a hottie or not!"

"Hey! She's my girlfriend!" Tidus exclaimed hitting Reno upside his head. Reno frowned and stuffed his notepad in his pocket. "Just help me find her and the others."

"Fine," Reno pouted. "Let's go search the rest of this forest."

* * *

"I can't believe you set the camp on fire!" Kairi exclaimed still lecturing Sora about fire safety. Kairi was furious with Sora. First he pushed her in a closet and now this.

Sora looked at his feet. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"A million," Vivi replied. Sora glared at Vivi giving him the 'I wouldn't be talking if I were you' look. Vivi laughed nervously. "I think I'll go walk with someone else…bye!" Vivi ran off and went to walk with Riku.

Kairi frowned and crossed her arms. She was still in disbelief that Sora would let himself get carried away like that. She knew he had his stupid moments but that was just absurd, setting your own camp on fire. Now she refused to talk to the sorry brunette.

"Kairi I promise I'll make it up to you, just talk to me please. It hurts me to know that you won't even look at me," Sora said softly. Kairi let out a sigh. "Please?" She smiled and looked at him.

"Okay, I'll forgive you, but just this once," she teased laying her head on his shoulder. "I just hope you don't do something that stupid ever again Sora. You and Hayner could have killed us all."

Sora kissed her forehead. "Don't worry I won't ever be that foolish ever again. Hey look a squirrel and it has its nut." A little light brown squirrel was standing in front of them holding a small nut. "Hey Kairi watch this I'm going to take its nut."

"Sora I don't think you should do that." Sora didn't listen to her wise words. He bent down and snatched the nut away from the hungry squirrel. Sora laughed pointing at the squirrel and showing Kairi the nut. "Sora…give it back."

"Why?" he asked.

_Chomp_

Sora hollered. The squirrel had just bitten Sora's leg. It crawled up Sora's pants biting anything in its path. Sora was screaming in pain. He started running around in circles trying to knock the squirrel off of him.

"So much for not doing something so foolish ever again."

Cloud grabbed Sora and punched him in his gut. Sora winced and fell on the ground. The squirrel crawled out Sora's shirt and took his nut back and scurried away. "Don't steal from squirrels it's not nice," Cloud advised.

He looked up and saw Leon and Aerith with their groups up ahead. "Leon, Aerith!" he called running over to the brunettes.

"What's the matter Cloud?" Aerith asked slightly alarmed the Cloud had brought all the other kids with him.

"Two idiots named Sora and Hayner set camp on fire," Cloud explained glaring at the two boys. They laughed nervously and waved. "So we need a new place to camp-out for tonight."

Leon rubbed his chin. "We'll just camp-out here for tonight since it's already getting dark and we won't be able to see where we are going once the sun completely sets," Leon replied. "Okay everyone get a buddy and settle down we'll be staying here for tonight!"

A few hours passed by and the sun completely set. The leaders told everyone to go asleep so the teens did as they were told; at least they made the leaders think they did. Once Aerith, Leon, and Cloud had fallen asleep everyone started talking in little groups.

Vivi looked up at Riku. "I'm bored," Vivi complained.

"Well that's good for you, I'm going to go talk to Yuffie," Riku said waving goodbye, but Vivi grabbed his leg. "Vivi get off my leg!"

"But Riku I'll be bored if you leave!" Vivi whined. Riku huffed and pulled a stack of cards out of his pocket. He handed them to Vivi. "Wow you want to play cards with me!"

"No go find someone else to play cards with," Riku replied leaving the kid to stare at the cards Riku had just given him.

* * *

Selphie sighed. _'I miss him so much; I hope he finds me soon. When I see him again I'm going to give him a hug and never let go no matter what happens!'_ Selphie thought as she stared at the moon. The moon had always secretly given her comfort. It was so large, white, and shiny.

She looked at her hand. Her silver promise ring was still on her left ring finger. Selphie sighed. She held it up so it could shine in the moonlight. She smiled wiping a few tears that came to her emerald eyes. "I'm never going to take it off," she whispered.

"Hey want to play cards with me!"

Selphie looked down and saw an eager Vivi holding a stack of cards. Selphie smiled sadly. "I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood to play games right now, maybe another time," Selphie apologized.

"Oh okay, I'll go ask someone else." With that being said Vivi walked away to find more potential players.

* * *

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were sitting around. Rikku and Paine were trying to convince Yuna to get some sleep. They were very aware that Yuna was worn out. "Yuna you need some rest, you've been running and bleeding a lot," Paine stated.

The brunette girl shook her head. "I'm not going to sleep I'll just stay up and watch you guys in case on of the leaders decides to show," Yuna replied.

Rikku shook her head. "No Yunie you have to go to sleep! If you overwork yourself you could die!" she exclaimed shaking her. "I don't want you to die!"

Yuna smiled. "I don't want to die either, that's why I'm not going to go to sleep. I'm just afraid that once I close my eyes they won't open ever again. So I'm not going to close them until I know I'm safe," Yuna explained.

Paine and Rikku sighed. Yuna was as stubborn as ever, at least they knew she was okay. "Just rest your eyes at least," Paine said. Yuna sighed.

"Fine," she replied lying down. "I'm only going to rest my eyes but that is all."

"Do any of you girls want to play cards?"

Six eyes landed on Vivi who was standing in front of them holding a deck of cards. Rikku shook her head. "We're going to get some rest Vivi so I guess you should ask someone else to play cards with you," she said shooing him away.

* * *

Dagger was writing ideas for her story on her wrist. She wasn't going to forget that way unless the pen got washed off somehow. Why did she have to have such good ideas when she was without her spiral notebooks?

Her story was the only thing that was keeping her from freaking out. She wondered when she was going to see Zidane again. How would he take the news if she died? She wasn't going to let herself be slain. Dagger planned to stay alive for this adventure; it would be the only adventure in her lifetime.

Her parents never let her do anything so she secretly was slightly enjoying the danger. The only part she didn't fancy was getting shot at, or seeing her friends die.

"Hey Dagger will you play cards with me?"

Dagger smiled. "Sorry Vivi I'm writing down ideas for my story, why don't you go ask someone else?" she suggested as she jotted down some words.

"All right."

* * *

Sora and Kairi were sitting by a fallen log stargazing. "Aren't the stars lovely tonight?" Sora asked staring at the stars. He was trying to find some constellations.

"Yeah they're much more beautiful than you are," Kairi joked. She knew that pick-up line all too well. So she figured she'd change it up a bit. Sora pouted.

"I always thought I was a pretty boy," He teased. Kairi laughed. "Kairi what do you think will happen once we get out of this?"

Kairi shrugged. She hadn't really given it much thought. She was too concentrated on running away from the people who were trying to kill her. "I don't know Sora, but whatever happens I just want to stay with you."

Sora smiled. "Aren't I the ladies man?" he asked.

"No, you're just one lucky boy," Kairi laughed. "You were supposed to say that's the exact same way I feel Kairi. And then you were supposed to give me a kiss but I guess you're not the romantic type of boy are you?"

"Of course not. Who's romantic these days anyway?" Sora smiled and got closer to Kairi. He was about to kiss her like she had said he was supposed two but a little boy got in between them.

"Hey guys want to play cards with me!"

Sora grumbled. "Vivi! I was trying to make a move on Kairi!" Sora exclaimed frowning at the eleven year old. Kairi laughed and patted Vivi on his head.

"Sorry but Sora and I have some business to attend to, you should go-."

"I know, I know I should go ask someone else," Vivi pouted.

* * *

Riku and Yuffie were seated on another log far away from Sora and Kairi's. "So Yuffie are you enjoying the wilderness?" Riku asked staring at the black haired girl.

Yuffie shrugged. "Well you know you can't really enjoy it when people are out there trying to find you so they can murder you, but if it were under better circumstances I would say yes," Yuffie replied putting her hands together.

"Since we're in the wild and everything what do you say we act wild?" Riku asked putting on a seductive look. He leaned in to pull her into a kiss, but instead something else happened.

_Slap_

His cheek was tingling. "Yuffie!" he cried holding his left cheek that now had a red hand mark on it. Yuffie crossed her arms.

"What?"

"Yuffie you slapped me!"

"Is that wild enough for you?"

"Yuffie you slapped me!"

"Okay you can stop saying that."

"Yuffie you slapped me!" Riku turned away from Yuffie pretending to be crying. He was surprised when he didn't hear any comforting words or anything along the lines of that. He turned around and faced…

_Wakka?_

"Hey you're not Yuffie!" Riku exclaimed raising an eyebrow at Wakka.

"You bet I'm not brother," Wakka replied shuffling the deck of cards he had in his hands.

Riku narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you here?"

Wakka sighed. "Well you see when you turned around I happened to walk by. Yuffie grabbed me and sat me here in her place…so here I am!" Wakka explained. He heard Riku sigh. There was a silence between them. "So…want to play with these cards I stole from Vivi?"

"Sure."

* * *

Reno, Rude, and Tidus were still walking through the forest conversing about the investigation. Tidus had found out that Reno and Rude were in the FBI and had been after Cid and the others for years. In fact they were wanted in thirty-nine states, Hawaii not being one of them. Which is why Cid chose to go here. Tidus was relieved that they actually had hope of being saved from this nightmare, now all he had to do was find the others and then they could all get out of here.

The only part he didn't like about this happy ending was he and his friends being split up to probably never see each other ever again. But it was better than being stalked by killers. At least he had all of their e-mails.

_Swoosh_

Reno and Rude quickly pulled out their guns and started to look around. "Who's there?" Rude asked pointing his gun at random things. A knife flew at the two FBI agents luckily they moved out of the way and it hit a tree.

"As skilled as ever."

Reno chuckled. "It's nice to see you again Quistis, you know if you weren't what they call 'evil' I'd actually consider asking you out, hot stuff," Reno said still searching for the blonde woman.

Quistis chuckled. "Who said I'd consider saying yes to a lowly scumbag like you."

The redhead winced. "Ow Quistis that really hurt."

"Not as much as this will!" Beatrix jumped out of the bushes followed by Quistis. They unleashed knifes everywhere. Tidus yelped and was grabbed by Reno and Rude and pulled behind a tree.

Rude took out his walkie-talkie from his pocket. He pushed the talk button. "We need back up send in the brunette girl!" he shouted. A voice came back that said roger.

Before Tidus's eyes everything seemed to go so fast. Knifes flew into the tree threatening to make the old oak tumble to the ground. A brunette girl fell down from the sky. Tidus peered from behind the tree to see who it was all he saw was a flash of black and brown knocking Beatrix and Quistis out of their senses.

"All clear!" chanted an all too familiar voice.

Reno, Rude, and Tidus came out from behind the tree. Tidus was shocked to see who was standing in front of them.

_'But how!'_

"You know you have a real future in this you should consider getting a full time job!" Reno exclaimed giving a high-five to the brunette girl. "You're skills are amazing are you a black-belt?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah me and few friends used to train in martial arts before I came here," she explained.

"Thanks for the help Tifa, you can join us on our little hunt," Rude said he turned to Tidus. "What's wrong kid you look like you've seen a ghost?" Rude waved his hand in front of Tidus's face.

Tifa smiled and waved. "Tidus where's your girlfriend Selphie and others? And did Yuna make it back all right?" Tidus simply nodded still shocked to see that she was alive.

_"So what about Rinoa, Fuu, and Tifa did they make it out okay?" Tidus asked as he walked next to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. Yuna sadly shook her head._

_"Rinoa was shot, Tifa and I were pushed out of the helicopter and I just saw Fuu dead…and either way she would have died from the crash," Yuna explained as she held her head down._

_Tidus sighed and looked away. "I'm so sorry for asking."_

"But Yuna said you were dead!" Tidus exclaimed still not believing his blue eyes.

Tifa chuckled. "Yeah these two show-offs found me lying in the forest. If it wasn't for them I would have been dead. So I decided to repay their kindness by lending them my help," Tifa explained.

"Oh, well at least you're all right. This may be shocking to hear but Kairi was actually quite sad when she heard you met your demise."

"Really? Interesting and after all I put her through." Tifa rubbed her chin.

Reno fired his gun in the air getting the teens attention. "No time for chit chat we have to keep moving those friends of yours could be in danger."

"Right."

_

* * *

_

_A/N: See Tifa isn't that bad! Hee Hee now we can all be happy that she is alive, not to mention that I need for future happenings in this story. This chapter was eight pages long isn't that wonderful? I don't know how many words that is, but it should be more than usual because the usual amount is six. Anyway tell me what you think you wonderful reviewers!_


	31. The Beginning of the End

_A/N: Wow I'm almost on my thirtieth chapter. I didn't think I'd be writing that much, but oh well. Anyways on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Beginning of the End

Morning came and the little _campers _were still asleep. Leon figured they should get their rest; after all they were up pretty much all night running away from people. If they were energized completely it would be easier to run away from danger if they ever encountered that situation.

Aerith sat down hugging her knees. She was keeping watch and making sure that no one entered the campsite. Cloud was on the opposite side of camp doing the same thing. Aerith silently vowed to make sure nothing would happen to these children. She didn't know if she could stand to watch them die.

Aerith closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. _'I just hope the others aren't anywhere near here,'_ she thought. But her fears were soon realized. She heard someone, or many people heading towards this area. She jumped up and started to search the trees and bushes.

"Who's there?" she asked in a low voice. She was slightly surprised when she heard no answer. She sighed. "I guess I'm hearing things." She sat back down and closed her eyes again. She felt something cold touch her head. She opened her green eyes to meet a red haired man.

He seemed to be laughing. Aerith raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?" she asked cocking her head to the side.

The man looked shocked. "Reno! Remember the cop that's been trying arrest the rest of you Cid followers!" the man exclaimed slightly furious that the woman didn't recognize him. He stopped for a minute. "You are a follower of Cid…aren't you?"

Aerith shook her head. "No I'm trying to protect the children from Cid along with Leon and Cloud," Aerith explained. Reno lowered his gun and sighed. "How do you know about Cid?"

"You could just say Rude and I have been tracking him and his followers down and now we're going to take them to jail! This time we're going to get them!" Reno cried scaring Aerith with his enthusiasm.

"So ma'am, are the kids here?" Rude asked coming up from behind Reno. "We need to know where they are so we can keep them safe."

Tidus ran up the Aerith. "Aerith!" he exclaimed. Aerith smiled and pulled the blonde boy into a hug.

"Tidus you're okay!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm sure if the others noticed but I knew you were gone from the look on Selphie's face. She hasn't exactly been happy lately so I knew something was wrong."

"Where's my hug?" Tifa asked somewhat pouting. Aerith smiled and gave Tifa a hug. "That's better, so can we go in and see everyone and explain the situation to them? Or are they all being lazy bums?"

Aerith chuckled. "Yes follow me, you can wake them up."

Reno cracked his knuckles. "It would be my pleasure," he stated running into the camp. He took in a deep breath. "WAKE UP THERE'S A HURRICANE COMING TO KILL YOU ALL!" Reno shouted at the top of his lungs. Aerith chuckled nervously.

_'Maybe I should have woke them up.'_

The teens jumped up and started panicking while screaming and running around in circles. Reno laughed watching the teens. "I was just kidding you know," Reno said. The group glared at Reno.

Selphie smiled when she saw Tidus. "Tidus!" she squealed. Without warning Tidus was knocked onto the ground and pulled into one of Selphie's bone-crushing hugs. "I thought you were a goner! But then you came back with the madman! Why are you with the madman?"

Tidus chuckled. "He and his friend Rude saved me," Tidus gasped. "Selphie let go of me." Selphie reluctantly agreed and let go of the oxygen-deprived boy. He took a deep breath and stood up. "I'm happy to see you're all right too."

"Okay kids pay attention, me and and my buddy Rude are going to go track down Cid and get him for you, we already got Quistis and Beatrix locked up so all we need is Cid," Reno explained. "As easy as it may seem Cid is the most dangerous with his twin guns and everything, though we might have the upper hand if he's having one of those bad days where he can't aim."

Sora started laughing. Everyone stared at him with 'What's wrong with you' looks. "It makes me wonder why I thought he shot me in that hallway," Sora laughed. He fell onto the ground and started to roll around getting dirt on his clothing. Kairi and Vivi rolled their eyes. They were still semi-upset about Sora locking them in a closet.

Tifa blinked. "Wow Sora you seem to have gotten dumber," Tifa stated scratching her head. _'Maybe all the drama is getting to his head. I think he needs some more sleep.'_

Yuna grinned. "Tifa! You're alive!" she exclaimed staring at the brunette in disbelief. "But how you looked dead when I last saw you."

Tifa shrugged. "You could just say I had some help from some show-off FBI agents named Rude and Reno." Yuna smiled. "You don't look so good, have you even tried to heal you're wounds ever since you ran away from the helicopter?" Yuna shook her head.

"I'm sorry I haven't really had any time."

Kairi smiled. "I'm glad that you're alive Tifa, it was kind of strange without you around," Kairi said.

Tifa smirked. "At least I was missed, I should probably apologize for being such a jerk to you." Everyone eagerly nodded waiting for Tifa's apology. "But apology's are for saps and you pretty much get the idea right." Kairi nodded. "Truce?"

"Truce." The two shook hands to seal the agreement. Yuffie jumped on Tifa's back knocking her down.

"Oh what about me! Eh? You remember the girl you tried to throw off the balcony oh possessed one!" Yuffie shouted laughing at Tifa struggled to get up. "Now say the magic words and I'll set you free!"

Tifa grumbled. She hated saying she was sorry, it wasn't in her genetic code. Yuffie sat on Tifa's back filing her nails with the nail file she had stole from Rikku. "Fine…Yuffie, I'm s-so-sorr-sorry for trying to kill you," she grumbled.

Yuffie grinned and removed herself. "Apology accepted," she said tucking the nail file back in her pocket. "So Ms. FBI how does it feel to harm people for a living?" she asked in an interviewer's tone.

She shrugged. "I wouldn't really call it a job, just repayment."

"Whatever. So are you going to apologize to Dagger too?" Dagger was now leaning on Tifa's left shoulder. Tifa blinked. "You know you literally threw her off the balcony."

"Fine I'm so-rr-y," Tifa grumbled crossing her arms.

Dagger smiled. "As long as you really didn't mean it to kill me and all I forgive you." Tifa was silent, there was no way she was telling Dagger the truth now. She only laughed and patted her on the back.

"Of course I didn't mean it."

* * *

Cid paced back and forth. He now realized that Zell was probably dead, Cloud betrayed him, and Beatrix and Quistis had been captured. Now it was a group of one, the one being him. How was he supposed to take out all of those kids and Reno and Rude? Cid crossed his arms and started to talk to himself.

"If I take out their right flank I'll be able to hit them head on! Then I can finally beat my cousin in chess!" Cid exclaimed happily. "Wait! This isn't chess this is a very delicate situation, if I make one wrong move I could be defeated…then it's decided! I'll load my guns, charge in, and hope for the best!"

Cid grabbed his guns and loaded each of them with twenty bullets; he figured that's all he'd need before he killed them all. "Now to go find them," Cid muttered. He began his run through the forest searching ever nook and cranny of anything that he passed. He checked behind trees, under rocks, inside bushes, and on top of boulders.

After thirty minutes of searching he fell on his knees in frustration. He shouted and shot his gun in the air. How hard could it be to find a few teenagers?

* * *

Selphie and Rikku screamed hearing a gunshot in the distance. Reno and Rude gulped and tried to cover the girl's mouth. Their screams were so high-pitched that it could possibly give away their position. Selphie growled and bit Rude's hand. She didn't like it when people covered her mouth. Rude yelped rubbing his wounded hand.

"What a feisty girl," Rude muttered. He grabbed a bottle of anti-defectant spray from his pocket and started to spray the hand Selphie had bit.

"Yeah but she's my girl," Tidus replied with a smile. Selphie smiled and winked at him. Tidus blushed and scratched his head. If Rude didn't have sunglasses on they could have seen him roll his eyes.

Kairi smiled sadly. She was beginning to doubt the FBI agents. They didn't exactly seem too intelligent. Would they really be able to protect them all from Cid? Then again Cid was only one person with bad aim. Still she couldn't help but feel a little insecurity.

Sora sat down next to her. "Kairi you're not worried are you?" he asked slightly worried about her. She'd been staring into space for a while now. Kairi smiled and looked at her feet. He always knew how she felt didn't he?

"I'm sorry it's just that I really don't want to die now, I'm just worried that we won't make it out okay," Kairi explained looking away from her shoes and into his beautiful cerulean eyes. Sora chuckled.

"You should already know by now that I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and besides Cid has bad aim remember?" Sora stated reassuringly. "We'll all make out fine and get home and continue on with our lives, I promise."

"Okay, I'm trusting you," Kairi replied pulling the brunette boy into a hug. "I know you won't let me down, so I'm going to trust your words." Sora smiled and returned her hug. He lifted her chin. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to see your face."

Kairi laughed. "Well I guess that's a sensible request." Kairi heard Selphie scream again. She turned around to see Cid standing in the middle of camp. He looked slightly confused.

Cid scratched his head. He could have sworn he was still standing on top of that boulder. "How the heck did I get here?" he asked himself as he stared at all the faces that were staring back at him. "Oh well just my luck to!"

"No luck for you! Come on Rude let's get him!" Reno exclaimed charging towards the blonde man. Rude followed his redheaded friend. Cid turned around and started to shoot at the charging figures. As Reno had said before he missed terribly and ended up shooting a tree. Cid growled and threw his guns away. He would have to use hand-to-hand combat.

Reno jumped onto Cid knocking him down. Cid kicked the redhead off of him. Reno flew back into Leon taking the brunette man down with him. Rude cracked his knuckles and ran towards Cid punching him in the face. Cid stumbled back and muttered his profanities under his breath. Tifa came up from behind Cid and kicked him in his back.

"Tifa wait up!" Yuffie cried. Tifa smirked watching Yuffie kick Cid into the air. Everybody watched in amazement, they were unaware that Yuffie had such lower body strength. Tifa grabbed Yuffie and threw her into the air. Yuffie grabbed Cid's shirt collar and climbed on his back. Cid hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Sorry, it just felt really good to do that again...carry on!" Yuffie exclaimed exiting the battle. Rude scratched his baldhead still astonished. Cid took this time to remove his face from the ground. He quickly jumped up and kicked Rude knocking him off his feet. Reno jumped back in only to be knocked away by Cid's leg. **_(A/N: Lol Reno's not getting any action)_ **

Tifa was about to punch Cid in the face but she was pushed away. Cloud and Leon jumped in but they were always thrown back. Aerith growled and marched over to Cid. She jumped on his back and started to pull his hair shouting profanities into the air and something about harming Cloud.

Everyone watched Aerith curse as she beat up Cid. Naminé's jaw dropped. "Aerith is such a potty mouth," she whispered still flabbergasted. Olette agreed.

Hayner jumped up cheering Aerith. He was the only one that cheered. Roxas hit him upside his head. "Shut up Hayner!" Roxas exclaimed. Hayner was silent.

Cid ran around trying to knock Aerith off of him. "Get off crazy woman!" he shouted. Aerith jumped off and kicked Cid in his head. Cid was slightly shocked that Aerith could even kick that high. Aerith punched Cid's left cheek and slapped the other one. Lastly she grabbed his face and head butted him. Cid let out a cry of pain.

Aerith growled. "That's what you get," she muttered as she stormed away.

Leon nudged Cloud. Cloud blushed and scratched his spiky head. He was still shocked that Aerith could cause that much damage.

_'How can something so beautiful be so dangerous?'_

_A/N: Go Aerith! You rock! What a nice chapter, I'm guessing this will be over at chapter thirty-two but that's just a guess. It might end sooner it all depends on how much I write each chapter. But I need some advice. Which couple would you like the most fluff from at the end?_

_A. Sora x Kairi ( 3 so cute)_

_B. Roxas x Naminé (adorable!)_

_C. Tidus x Selphie (Aww)_

_Okay so tell me in your review please!_


	32. Good Always Triumphs

_A/N: Yeah the big 3 and 0. We must all have a party to celebrate lol. This is almost over and it pains me to say goodbye. It's like my little baby. Lol._

_Sora: No_

_Me: Hey!_

_Disclaimer: I do now own Kingdom Hearts or any work by Square with the Enix._

* * *

Chapter Thirty: Good Always Triumphs

Reno growled. "You won't hit me this time!" he exclaimed running towards the blonde man. Sadly Reno had just made a foolish act. Once again he was thrown into the sidelines. This time he collided with poor Vivi. Vivi screamed and fell on the ground. Dagger growled. She leaped onto Cid tackling him onto the ground.

Selphie rolled up her imaginary sleeves and ripped a branch off a nearby tree. She was about to get her revenge. Cid gulped and closed his eyes as Selphie started to beat him with the branch. "I'll show you to mess with me!" she shrieked beating his head. "I hate you!"

Tidus decided to join in as he started to pelt random rocks at Cid. "And I'll show you to kidnap my girlfriend!" Tidus shouted. Kairi jumped up and ran over to Cid and started to jump on his back with the intent of breaking it. Rikku joined in and started to twist the man's legs in different ways. Soon enough the others started seeking their revenge.

"You're going to regret the day you messed with Sora!" Kairi growled in a low menacing voice. Sora gulped. He never knew Kairi could sound so evil, all the more reason for him to love her. He loved girls who weren't afraid to show a little agression every now and then. Sora decided to join in by kicking dirt in Cid's face repeatedly.

Yuna hobbled over to him and spit in his hair. If she was going to be eternally damaged because of him she wanted to at least do something to him. "What is with everyone spitting on me?" Cid cried. Naminé stepped on his hand with her heeled shoes leaving red blotches everywhere. Roxas screamed in his ear. Wakka and Hayner threw darts at him that they had stolen from Reno. Pence poured chemicals into Cid's eyes. Paine twisted Cid's arm out of place.

Olette punched Cid's head and kicked his gut. Yuffie jumped on Cid's thighs while Tifa gave him a wedgie. Axel pinched Cid's sides. Seifer elbowed Cid's neck. Lastly Vivi dragged Cid's limp body towards and a tree and started to bang Cid against it. Everyone cheered. They enjoyed watching Cid in pain.

Cid was done. Reno punched Cid in his stomach knocking the blonde man unconscious. He put handcuffs on Cid's wrists and threw him at Rude. "Our job is done now, if you would all follow us we can take you back to the hotel so you can gather your things and prepare to leave," Reno instructed.

"Home," Kairi whispered looking down at her feet. She wasn't so sure she was ready to go home and leave all of her wonderful new friends, especially Sora. Nobody would ever replace him in her heart. She wasn't exactly sure how she could live without him.

Reno and Rude started to lead the teens back towards the hotel. They were all shocked that they had gotten so far away. They could hardly see the building in the distance. Kairi looked back and saw Selphie and Tidus talking. She smiled seeing how happy her friend was. She'd never seen her so happy.

"Kairi, I never asked but where do you live?" Sora asked. Kairi had noticed he had been walking next to her this entire time.

"Oh, I live in Georgia," Kairi replied. Sora whistled. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think we'll ever get to see each other again, you see I live in Maine," Sora replied rubbing the back of his neck. Kairi sighed and looked at her shoes. "But don't worry I'll make sure to e-mail you till you get sick of it."

Kairi laughed. "I can assure you that I won't," she replied.

* * *

Roxas blinked. He and Naminé hadn't spoken to each other since the long walk started. He already knew what she was thinking about the ride home. He would miss Hawaii regardless of what happened. If he hadn't won that sweepstakes he could have never met Naminé or anyone else.

"So will you remember me in Alaska?" Naminé asked. She finally asked the question she'd wanted to ask for a long time. She would probably be forgotten regardless of her wishes. "Will you get a new girlfriend and forget all about me?"

"Of course not," Roxas replied. "I could never forget the most amazing and beautiful girl in the entire world." Naminé blushed looking away.

She smiled a little. "That's good to know, because I'll never forget you either, and maybe we'll see each other again someday, I live in Oregon so there is a possibility."

Roxas shrugged. "You never know."

* * *

Axel was talking to himself as Rikku watched him curiously. She never knew boys talked to themselves. She didn't know a lot about boys other then they had testosterone issues. "Axel what are you talking about?" she asked finally grabbing his attention.

"Nothing!" Axel blurted out crossing his arms. "Nothing that concerns you."

Rikku narrowed her eyes playfully. "Oh really? I could have sworn I heard my name brought up a couple of times, unless you really actually say that the boy Riku is hot, you're not gay are you?" Rikku asked.

Axel blushed. "Of course I'm not gay! And I never said the word Rikku? You shouldn't listen to people's conversations!" he scolded.

"Well you can't really call it a conversation since you were talking to yourself," Rikku retorted sticking out her tongue.

Axel growled. "You're one to talk, you spy on people to gain information!" Axel shouted crossing his arms. "How would you know anything about being social?"

Rikku pouted and kicked Axel in his shin. "You're a big meanie-face!" Rikku shouted childishly. "I don't know what I was thinking when I started to like someone like you, maybe I am crazy!"

"You like me?"

Rikku covered her mouth. "Uh hey look we're here!" Rikku said. Axel looked away from Rikku giving her a chance to run. She was about to retreat when Axel grabbed her collar. "Hey let me go!"

"I like you too," Axel said before kissing Rikku. Her eyes widened.

'He's kissing me! Maybe this trip was an entire dream! But it sure does feel real!' Rikku thought. She smiled and returned his kiss. He pulled away and let go of her collar.

"See you around," Axel whispered before running to catch up with Wakka and Hayner. Rikku stood there with a smug look on her face.

"I am adorable," she muttered happily. She put her hands on her hips. "Go Rikku!"

* * *

"So now you have learned a very valuable lesson Riku, do not underestimate my power. You will pay if you hit on me. Though soon enough we won't have a problem with that since we probably won't see each other again. I live in Alaska you live in Maine. We're on opposite sides of the country," Yuffie stated.

Riku shrugged. "You can never be so sure, there's always college," Riku replied. "And you know I've had my eye on a college in Alaska…maybe if I get in we'll see each other again?"

Yuffie smiled. "Maybe."

"Besides I know if I don't see you again I'll probably go insane, I know hearing Sora's ranting about how much he misses Kairi won't be fun. I'll miss having your company," Riku stated.

Yuffie smiled. "It's nice to know that I mean that much to you."

"Well what did you expect me to say? Oh I hate you, you don't mean anything to me. The dirt I walk on is better than you?" Riku asked jokingly. Yuffie punched him. "And also you better tell all those Alaskan boys to back off. You have a boyfriend named Riku who eats raw eggs for breakfast."

Yuffie laughed. "Everyone eats raw eggs for breakfast," Yuffie replied.

"Exactly!"

"Riku you're so strange."

* * *

Reno and Rude looked around. The hotel should be straight ahead of them but for some reason it felt like they were going the wrong way. Reno stopped walking. "Hey Rude do you know which way is north?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"It should be ahead of us," Rude replied.

"How do you know we aren't heading south and that's north behind us. Or maybe we're heading west?" Reno supposed. "For all we know we could just get more lost in this forsaken forest!"

The wind suddenly picked up. Reno and Rude looked up to see a helicopter. "Hey the FBI is here!" Reno exclaimed watching the flying device land on the ground. "Hey Rufus you here to take us back to that hotel?"

A blonde man stepped out of the helicopter. He was obviously the man Reno had called Rufus. "Rufus sir, what brings you here?" Rude asked adjusting his sunglasses.

"For the sake of the kids of course," Rufus replied. "We have all of their things ready at the airport so I have instructed this helicopter to take them all safely to the airport while we converse with the remaining leaders. At the airport the children will be questioned before boarding the plane."

Aerith smiled. "Can we say goodbye to them?" she asked sounding quite sad. Rufus nodded. Selphie ran towards Aerith. "Goodbye Selphie, stay safe in the future okay?"

Selphie nodded a few tears welling up in her emerald eyes. The other girls joined in on Aerith's hug as the boys were saying their goodbyes to Cloud and Leon.

"Keep up your investigating skills, but next time make sure you actually accuse the correct guy," Leon stated eyeing Hayner, Wakka, and Pence. They laughed nervously.

"We're sorry about that Leon," Hayner apologized.

"Oh and Cloud make sure you take good care of Aerith," Riku said nudging the blonde man.

"You two are meant for each other after all," Sora added winking at Cloud. Cloud's cheeks turned red.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Have a safe trip." Sora and Riku chuckled.

Axel smirked. "Some people just can't admit their feelings," he stated shaking his head in disapproval.

"Like you?" Sora joked. Axel flashed a glare at the laughing brunette.

After the sad goodbyes the teens reluctantly got on the helicopter. They chose their seats and put on their seatbelts. The helicopter quickly left the ground. Kairi looked out the window seeing her last view of the six adults; she could call them her saviors.

_

* * *

_

_A/N: This one had minor fluff I guess you could call it. But for the next two chapters I'll try to go fluff crazy! But you can still vote who you want to see the most of! So just send me you're letter I can say a certain auburn and brunette couple are currently in the lead. -coughs- Sora and Kairi -coughs-_

_A. Sora x Kairi ( 3 so cute)_

_B. Roxas x Naminé (adorable!)_

_C. Tidus x Selphie (Aww)_


	33. Last Remarks

_A/N: Okay now for the results of my little poll. Wakka give me a drum roll please._

_Wakka: -beats drums-_

_The winner is…_

**_Sora x Kairi _**

_Okay so here's the deal. I'll be doing the farewell, but in three separate chapters. The first one being Sora x Kairi, and since that couple won that will have the most heartbreaking and totally cute fluff. Trust me…I'm going to go fluff crazy._

_Since Roxas x Naminé came in second place it was have heartbreaking and totally cute fluff but not as heartbreaking and totally cute as Sora x Kairi._

_And lastly Tidus x Selphie will have heartbreaking and totally cute fluff but not as heartbreaking and totally cute as the two couples before it. That way everyone has fluff and you'll get to read some more of this fan-fiction and be fluff-ified._

_That shall be starting next chapter, for now it's still the other things._

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: Last Remarks

The helicopter landed at the airport in the parking lot. The machine crushed many cars in the process of landing, causing many people to get angry and shout their profanities. The FBI didn't seem to hear their rants. Rufus opened the helicopter door.

"Okay everyone out, once you enter the airport an agent of mind will pull you aside and take you into a room, that is where you will be questioned about Cid and the others," Rufus explained. Everyone nodded and exited the helicopter.

It was a long walk to the airport entrance. People stared at them as they passed by. Riku felt as if he could punch their eyes out. If they had known what they had just been through they wouldn't stare. Especially if they knew that they had just taken out a man who's wanted in thirty-nine states.

Sora was the first to enter the airport. "Okay so where are those FBI guys?" he asked himself looking around. He was so into his search he didn't realize that he had knocked down an FBI agent.

"Hey kid!"

Sora looked up. "Oh sorry!" Sora apologized.

"Save the apologies and come with me," the agent instructed grabbing Sora's arm and dragging him into a room. A few minutes later everyone had been taken away by an FBI agent, it was only a matter of seconds before they were 'interrogated'.

* * *

"Okay Selphie tell me, how did Cid act around you?" the agent asked jotting down notes on his notepad. "Was he ever alarming or suspicious?"

"Well when I first actually saw Cid, he looked so nice. He was a big joker! I mean she screamed at us that the plane had an engine problem and that we were all going to die that was pretty scary. You know he always had a piece of broccoli stuck in his teeth too it pained me to look at him. Did you know he had lice?" Selphie asked. The agent rolled his eyes.

"He didn't lead you on to anything?"

"No he wasn't. He just seemed to really love kids. Especially that time when he had the eating contest Rikku and I won that! It was great! We make a great team, I'll be so sad when she leaves."

It was obvious this bubbly girl wasn't going to give him the dirty details. He began to wonder if any of the other agents were getting anywhere. Obviously he wasn't going to break this one.

* * *

"Well actually I never really paid attention to Zell," Seifer replied.

"So you didn't suspect anything."

"Nope."

"Nothing at all."

"Nope."

"Not even a small-."

"How many times do I have to say no?" The agent gulped seeing Seifer's face turn red. Not because he was blushing but because he was angry.

"That'll be all."

* * *

Pence rubbed his chin. "Well first we were all accusing Leon because he had a black glove, so we were all planning to jump him in the hallway. It was a good thing we didn't because then we would have made the wrong decision. And you know making the wrong decision is always very embarrassing. And being embarrassed isn't exactly the greatest thing to happen to a person. I mean if the world were just kinder it wouldn't be a big deal! Am I right? Huh? Hey wake up!" Pence exclaimed shaking the sleeping agent.

Pence's ranting have put the agent to sleep. Pence let out a heavy sigh. _'And Hayner said I was the most entertaining guy on the world. Then again he was yawning when he said it. I'm never believing Hayner again.'_

* * *

Hayner slumped in his chair not even listening to what the agent was asking him. He honestly didn't care at all he just wanted to get home and continue his normal relationship with Olette. Unlike the others Olette actually lived in the same stated as him, in the lovely state of Nevada. It didn't sound like much to others but he loved his home.

The only sad part would be leaving all his friends. He had come to love them all in a friendly way. Regardless of their stupidity and loudness. He would especially miss his buddy Wakka. The two had grown especially close. He would always cherish the memories of them throwing darts at things, even if it was the life-size Leon cardboard figure. They were good times.

The agent eyed Hayner slightly annoyed. She knew he wasn't listening to a word she was saying. She smirked evilly; she just got an idea that was sure to make him respond. Now all she had to do was say it loud enough. "So what do you say?" she asked loudly.

Hayner looked up. "No!" he exclaimed not even knowing what he was saying 'no' to.

The lady had a smug look on her face. "Okay so you don't want to go home and you want to join the FBI that's great, I'll go tell the others we have a new recruit," she said standing up and walking towards the door.

Hayner gasped. "No! I don't want that I just want to go home you crazy lady now let me out of this room before I knock the sense out of you!" Hayner growled.

The lady laughed nervously. "O-Okay don't hurt me! You can't go now!" she said opening the door for him to leave.

* * *

Rikku and Paine sat in the same room being 'interrogated' by the same agent. Yuna had been flown to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention. The brunette had insisted she was fine, but everyone knew she wasn't so she was forced into going. Rikku was sad that Yuna was gone, but happy that she was going to be okay.

The blonde girl hadn't spoken a word. Paine had been answering all of the questions the agent had been asking. Paine understood that Rikku's thoughts lied with Yuna. So she figured the blonde didn't need to be bothering by useless questions.

"Are you certain Beatrix didn't say anything with all the other leaders? There were no secret meetings?" the agent asked.

Paine shook her head. "Not that we know off," she replied. "We weren't exactly allowed to be roaming the hallways freely you know. They even tried to separate genders by not allowing us to see each other."

"I see did you follow these rules?"

"No, we always saw the boys," Rikku replied. "They were our friends. And we loved spending time with them."

* * *

Riku chuckled. "What do you mean did I suspect he was trying to lower us into a trap? What am I a psychic now? You know you're one crazy person thinking people can see the future. I should have your job for that you know! Just wait once I tell that Rufus guy you are totally fired! And if you aren't I will stalk you day and night until you finally die of fear!" Riku exclaimed getting carried away in the moment.

In Riku's past he had watched too much of the Godfather movie's. He could pass for a thug if he felt like acting like one. This sometimes scared people. Many would call the albino boy a bi-polar others just thought he was an insane person. Yet only the girls found him totally irresistible. He had his own fan club back home.

"It was just a question sir," the agent replied slightly taken aback by the way Riku had reacted. This agent didn't want to loose his job.

"Whatever you say oh fired one," Riku mocked crossing his arms. "Do you have anymore insulting questions for me?"

The agent nodded. "I would like to know you're thoughts on Quistis."

"My thoughts about Quistis? Well I thought she seemed too nice you know."

"Yes, I know continue."

"Like she was hiding something from me. Something she didn't want to reveal of herself, it was almost like she was wearing a disguise."

"Disguise?"

"Yes like someone in this room."

"Who?"

"You!" Riku leaped from his chair and tackled the agent onto the ground. "Take off your mask you imposter I know you're Cid!" he shouted pulling at the agent's face. "What did you glue this on?'

"My face!" the agent cried. Riku laughed nervously and let go of the agent's face.

"Sorry man." The agent growled and pushed Riku out of the room.

* * *

Roxas blinked. He felt himself falling asleep as the agent was rambling on about something called security. He didn't really care about this security he just wanted to go sleep didn't the agent understand he had a long day? Some people could just be so inconsiderate.

"Can you stop talking?" Roxas retorted.

"Excuse me this is an interview!" the agent exclaimed. Roxas yelped hearing the agent's angry voice.

"O-Okay carry on then."

* * *

Vivi cocked his head to the side. He didn't exactly know how to answer the question. He didn't know if he should tell the agent everything that happened. Vivi didn't want to be talking too much; his mom insisted that it was bad for his throat. So now he was thinking of the simplest way he could reply.

"Well my friends were always so careless so we couldn't be prepared for the truth. That's why we were in such panic when that dreadful occurred," Vivi explained watching the agent write what he said in his notebook.

The agent nodded. "That's all I need for now little kid."

Vivi's eyes narrowed. He detested being called a little kid. After all he had been through he was still considered just a little kid. If he didn't have any self-control he would have beat the man senseless, then who would have been the little kid? The agent would have!

Vivi hid his disappointment. "Okay," he muttered jumping out of his seat and walking towards the door.

_'He's such a cute little kid really. It would be a shame if suddenly in some change of fate he turned around and tried to kill me because I called him a little kid. But oh well I know that would never happen. He's such a sweet little guy.'_ The agent thought watching Vivi leave the room.

* * *

"Are you sure that I can't write a book about this experience?" Dagger asked as she stared at the agent with pleading eyes.

The agent shook her head. "No, this is highly confidential only the FBI and you guys will know about it. You are to tell your parents that you had a great time and that some other kids won the free trip is that clear?" the agent asked.

Dagger sadly nodded her head. "I understand, but couldn't I just write it as a little fiction or something like that?" she asked again. She was determined to be able to write about this dilemma.

"No you are not to mention to anyone at all," the agent instructed his voice a little colder than before. Dagger sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

"It's good to see you understand."

* * *

Kairi was seated in a comfy metal chair. She watched as the FBI agent wrote down the information she had just given him. She wasn't exactly too happy about the idea of being interviewed. She'd rather just spend her last couple of hours with her beloved Sora. She wondered how his interview was going. She was going to miss him when he was gone.

All of the great times they had together would soon just be memories. He would probably move on and get a new girlfriend and marry her. Regardless of her sadness, she made a promise to herself that she would be happy for him. She shouldn't pull him down. After all she was just the girl he had met during a fake sweepstakes.

It was better if he forgot all about her. She wouldn't forget about him, even if they extracted the memories from her brain. She smiled sadly. Soon she would have to go home and back to her boring life as a straight 'A' unpopular person. She moved her auburn tress behind her left ear.

"So would you tell me your thoughts on this whole experience, after that you are free to leave," the agent said waiting for Kairi's response.

Kairi nodded. She sucked up the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She'd half to get her voice to go back to normal before she spoke. She didn't want to agent to thinks he was being over dramatic. She let out a sigh and reopened her eyes.

She saw the agent jotting something down on his notebook. She figured it was the movements she was making. She began to wonder if this guy was hired to take note of everything she did. Cid or the other leaders hadn't emotionally hurt her. She just needed some time to forget her doubts.

"Okay, well here are my thoughts," she started to say almost choking on her words. The agent nodded as if saying 'continue.' She nodded and looked at the floor. She was going to try and not make eye contact while she spook it would only make it harder.

"Well it's simple. I was foolish and actually believed there was an actual sweepstakes. But in the midst of my mistake I met some wonderful people. The people who I know call my dearest and closet friends," Kairi said as she took another deep breath. "I can say now regardless of the torture I was put through…I don't regret opening that Pepsi bottle. Even if I didn't drink a sip, I don't regret anything."

The agent nodded as he finished writing down the words Kairi had just spoken. "Is there anything else you would like to add before you leave?" he asked.

Kairi nodded. She smiled sadly and looked the agent directly in his eyes. His blue eyes reminded her of Sora, but they were filled with no emotion. They made her feel even sadder. The coldness of his eyes made her think of how lonely she would be when he was gone. Her blue eyes were searching for any sign of emotion, but she found nothing. She finally spoke her voice cracking a little.

"Things aren't always what they seem."

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Boom! The title! Aren't I extremely clever? Anyway prepare yourselves for the enormous amount of fluff that will be in the last chapters. I'm still so sad that I have to end this, and so sorry that I took me so long to update this. I was trying to multitask and it didn't work out very well!_


	34. Don't Leave Me

_A/N: The first fluffy chapter hooray! Our Sora x Kairi fluff in which most all people love, but some prefer other things. Anyways well I have a lot of typing to do so better get started now so this will be a very small Author's Note._

_Sora: Just get on with it I want to kiss Kairi -romantic look-_

_Me: Okay Sora hold your horses_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two: Don't Leave Me

Kairi picked up her bags. She let out a heavy sigh and started on her long walk to the airplane. They were lucky that they got their own private plane. She felt a sense of déjà vu as she walked down the long gray hall that lead to the entrance of the plane. It reminded her of the plane ride to Hawaii, except without Selphie bouncing circles around her.

"Kairi."

A sad smile crept onto her face. She turned around to see Sora running towards her. She turned back around once he caught up. It pained her to look at him; it only reminded her of what she would be missing once he left. "Hey Sora," she choked trying to hold back her tears.

Regardless of her wishes a single tear made it's way down her cheek. He frowned and wiped the tear off of her cheek. "Kairi don't cry," Sora pleaded. Kairi looked away and closed her eyes. Sora cupped her chin forcing her to face him. "Kairi you're making it harder than it's supposed to be. Let's just make our last hours together happy."

Kairi opened her blue eyes. "Okay Sora," she replied a small smile appearing on her face. "I'll try not to think of what's going to happen in the near future. I'll try not to cry."

Sora grinned. "Come Kairi let's go get good seats!" Sora exclaimed grabbing her hand and running down the hallway. They boarded the airplane and handed the plane attendant their tickets before searching for a good seat.

Sora stopped at B25 and B26. He grabbed Kairi's bags and put them in the compartment above the seats along with his belongings. Kairi took the seat by the window, buckled her seatbelt, and waited for Sora to get settled.

_'What am I going to do without him. I think I might break.'_

Sora sat down and buckled his seatbelt. Kairi smiled at him. "How long did they say the plane ride was?" Kairi asked reverting her attention to the scenery outside of the airplane window.

"Well for me it's going to be at least a day, our landing is at night," Sora explained. "I don't know about you though." Sora gently grabbed her chin pulling her closer to him. "Why are you worried about that?" he asked in a mocking voice.

Kairi giggled. "I was just curious Sora that's all," she replied. Sora pressed his lips against hers pulling her into a kiss. Before Kairi could return his kiss Sora pulled away. Kairi pretended to pout. "Sora," she mumbled.

Sora grinned. "The plane is about to take off," Sora replied. Kairi sighed and started to mutter something about timing. Sora laughed and put his arm around her. Slowly the plane started to move towards the runway. It picked up speed and quickly lifted into the air ascending from the ground. Kairi laid her head on Sora's shoulder. Sora blushed and gently started to stroke hair.

An announcer came on the intercom. "Okay welcome to, what did we decide to name it? What! That's a stupid name…fine. Welcome to FBI airlines! That sounds so gay doesn't it kids? Anyway this is Reno speaking, now you all are expecting a boring flight and sitting the entire time. No, that isn't the case! See this is a state of the art plane, you can walk around and explore different rooms, but of course you know you'll have to return to your seats at night. So have fun kiddos and we'll announce anything important!"

Sora started to unbuckle his seatbelt. "Come on Kairi! Let's go explore!" he exclaimed sounding like a little child. Kairi laughed and unbuckled her seatbelt. Sora was so innocent. His blue eyes never showed sorrow or doubt. He was so happy and carefree. He made her feel happy.

The brunette grabbed her hand and started to lead her down the corridors. Kairi was amazed that this plane had so many rooms. They passed a small bar that served juices and sodas, a small hang out room, and other plain rooms. Kairi couldn't help but be amazed. Sora pulled her into a 'serve yourself' room.

"Sora why'd you pick this room?" she asked.

"I'm hungry." Kairi giggled hearing his reply. She couldn't blame him though they hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday's lunch. She was starving too. She approached the counter where Sora was searching for food. She leaned on the yellow counter.

"What are you looking for?"

Sora grinned and pulled out ice cream, whip cream, and sprinkles. Kairi smiled. "Want some ice cream?" Kairi nodded eagerly. She watched as he grabbed two bowls and began to fix them ice cream. Soon enough they had two ice cream sundaes. Sora finished putting whip cream on his and looked up at Kairi. "I'm an artist!" he exclaimed making her laugh. He lost his fingering and accidentally shot some whip cream onto Kairi's mouth and chin.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed blushing. "You put whip cream on me," she pouted giving him her best frown. It was hard because she couldn't help but want to laugh. Sora smirked making her face turn a shade of crimson. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Sora leaned over the counter and started to lick the whip cream off of her chin. Kairi's heartbeat increased as she felt his tongue touch her chin. Once he was finished he moved onto her lips pulling her into a kiss. Kairi smiled parting her lips a little as he removed the whip cream from her mouth.

He pulled away and grinned. Kairi laughed noticing the whip cream was now all over his mouth and chin. Sora raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" he asked. Kairi continued to laugh as he scratched his chin and then rubbed the top of his nose getting whip cream all over it.

"You have whip cream all over your face," Kairi laughed pointing her finger at his face. Sora laughed wondering how he hadn't noticed. He turned around to look for a paper towel so he could wipe it off his face, but Kairi stopped him. She grabbed his shoulder turning him around.

Sora blushed as Kairi started to lick his face like he had did to her. She licked the whip cream off of his chin and nose. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Sora returned her kiss. Kairi felt a small sensation come over her. She felt as if her heart would pop out of its place if it went any faster. Happiness crept over her as her tongue met with Sora's.

Sora smiled feeling slightly delirious. He didn't give a care if he was quickly running out of oxygen. He wanted to stay like this; he wanted to be with Kairi. He heard Kairi let out a small quiet gasp for air. They pulled away for air.

Kairi licked the remaining whip cream off of her own lips and blushed. "I'm going to eat now," she said quietly as she picked up her sundae and a spoon from the counter. Sora nodded and did the same.

As Kairi devoured her sundae she thought about home. She couldn't help but admit she missed her room and her bed that she used to sleep in, and her small kitten that she named Saiyuri. But her life would never be the same. She knew she was going to have nightmares about her memories. She was going to be haunted.

Not only because of that one night of terror. Because of her friends and all of the wonderful moments she has had. And mostly because of a certain brunette boy named Sora. She would miss him most of all.

"Kairi."

Kairi looked over at Sora. "What is it?" she asked.

"Are you going to eat your spoon?" He asked. Kairi noticed she had been chewing on the silverware. She blushed and shook her head. "I was just wondering," he said in an innocent singsong voice. Kairi giggled and gently slapped his arm.

The first landing was in Nevada, the gang sadly waved goodbye to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The second landing was in Utah, this time the parting members were Vivi and Dagger. This was all during the first four hours of the plane ride, each goodbye been as sorrowful as the last.

Finally it was Naminé's turn to say goodbye. She had already had her private goodbye with Roxas. Selphie pulled the blonde into a bone-crushing hug shouting 'I love you as a friend!' and 'I'll miss you!' Naminé waved as she left the plane. Selphie and Rikku burst into tears and were whining all the way to Alaska.

Roxas, Rikku, Paine, Yuffie, and Tifa had to leave. Roxas and Riku had to pry Selphie away from the crying blonde. They all said their final goodbyes and were off of the plane. Its next destination was Michigan where Tidus, Axel, and Wakka would be getting off. But that would be later at night.

Everyone was asleep except for Sora and Kairi. They were sitting in their seats watching the same movies over and over again or listening to Kairi's iPod Nano. After a good thirty minutes passed the two were bored.

"Sora," Kairi said. Sora looked at her his eyelids partially drooping. She smiled. "After they land in Michigan you have to go don't you?" she asked. When Sora nodded her heart dropped.

Kairi broke into tears and quietly sobbed. Sora pulled her into a loving embrace slowly rocking her back and forth. "Kairi don't cry. We'll always be together. Remember you promise ring?" he whispered into her ear. Kairi nodded holding up her hand to show him that it was still on her finger.

"But it won't be the same," she replied more tears sliding down her cheeks.

Sora chuckled. "We may not be together in the flesh, but we'll always be together in our hearts," Sora replied pointing to her heart. Kairi held his hand and nodded. She began to understand what he was saying. Even though she couldn't see him they would always be together.

"Sora, wherever you are…always remember…I'm always with you," Kairi whispered turning around to look him in his eyes. Sora nodded. "I want you to have this," she stated grabbing her purse and pulling a small pink star trinket out of it. She put it in Sora's hands. "It's my lucky charm."

Sora nodded and stared at the trinket. It seemed to be smiling at him. A tear escaped his eyes and started to slide down his right cheek. "Thank you Kairi," he replied safely tucking it in his front pocket. Kairi smiled sadly.

"When you look at my charm, you'll think of me…if you have an problems you can just look at the charm and I can help you," Kairi stated resting her head on his chest. Sora nodded and tightly wrapped his arms around her waist not wanting to let go.

"I'll remember." With those last words being said Sora and Kairi fell asleep in that position. Kairi grasped his shirt tightly as if her hands had been glued there. Her facial expression wasn't something calm she looked terrified. Kairi was terrified of loosing Sora. Sora looked concentrated. If his face had been more serious it might've gotten stuck in that position.

That night Tidus, Wakka, and Axel left the plane. Selphie was in tears and her crying was so loud it woke up Sora and Kairi. Riku tried his best to console the crying brunette girl, but regardless of his efforts she continued to cry her eyes out. Selphie pushed Riku away and ran down the corridors disappearing.

Sora opened his eyes seeing a small goodbye note by his foot. It was from Wakka, Tidus, and Axel. Sora picked it up and opened it seeing a small goodbye note and a group picture that Pence had taken. He noticed there was an envelope for Kairi as well. He tucked it in her purse noticing that she was waking up.

"Kairi," he whispered watching her yawn and stretch.

"Good morning Sora," she said cheerfully. But her cheerfulness soon vanished when she realized that she wasn't in Hawaii anymore. In only a couple of hours Sora would have to leave. Sora noticed her expression was filled with sadness. He gently touched her cheek.

Kairi looked up at him and smiled sadly. "Remember Kairi," he whispered kissing her lightly on her cheek. Kairi nodded and briefly remembered their conversation last night. She looked down at her feet realizing that most of her friends were gone now. A pang of sadness attacked her heart.

The next stop was in New York where Seifer would be dropped off. The plane landed and the plane attendant opened the door for Seifer to leave. Sora, Kairi, Selphie, and Riku said their goodbyes to the blonde boy before he exited the plane and the door closed. Kairi held back the tears that were threatening to fall. In only an hour she wouldn't see Sora ever again.

Selphie was asleep for the most of the ride calling for Tidus. Riku only sat in his seat staring at the group picture. Sora was very aware that he was missing Yuffie. Kairi had cried herself to sleep so he decided he would try and cheer up his friend. He sat down next to him.

"Riku, cheer up," Sora said patting his albino haired friend on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll see her again if you get into that college in Alaska." Riku nodded.

"But I'll still miss her when I'm not there," Riku replied.

Sora smiled. "You'll see her again I promise," Sora punching his own chest. "If you don't ever see her again you can beat me senseless." Riku chuckled.

"Then it's a deal."

The two shook on it. Sora knew Riku wouldn't beat him senseless, at least he hoped so. Riku didn't look like he was joking. Sora gulped and quickly excused himself. Sora walked back to his seat where he saw a sleeping Kairi clutching his jacket that he was put over her. He smiled and kissed her forehead. The plane would be landing soon.

Kairi woke up thirty minutes later to see Sora gathering his things. Sora grinned at her. Though his grin wasn't as cheerful as it used to be. She could see right through his mask. "Sora!" she exclaimed leaping onto him. Sora hugged her his tears already falling down his cheeks.

He squeezed her not wanting to let go. "Kairi it'll be okay," he choked stroking her auburn locks. Kairi cried into his shirt shaking her head. She didn't want to let go of him. She wanted to hold him forever. Sora pulled away and grabbed his jacket. Kairi stood there sobbing loudly. "I want you to have this," Sora stated putting the jacket around her shoulders.

Kairi nodded watching him pick up his bags. He kissed her one last time and turned away. "Goodbye Kairi," he mumbled more tears fall down his cheeks. Kairi watched as he walked down the small pathway.

"No!" she cried running towards him and tackling Sora onto the ground. "Sora!" she cried attaching herself to his neck. Sora couldn't watch as the tears rapidly fell down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her waist holding her close to him.

"Sora!" Riku exclaimed rolling his eyes. He was trying to hide his sadness. He picked up Sora's bags and handed them to the plane attendant who took them off of the plane figuring that the brunette boy wouldn't be able too.

Sora ignored Riku's pleas for him to get off the floor. He started to kiss Kairi passionately on her lips. Kairi returned his kiss gripping Sora's shirt tighter. Selphie let out a small whimper as she watched Sora and Kairi. Those two weren't going to let go unless someone forced them too.

Sora caressed Kairi's cheek letting out a small whimper. Kairi pressed her lips onto his harder getting his shirt wet with her tears. She wasn't going to let him go, not ever, even if she had to be pulled out of the plane with him.

Riku grabbed Sora's shirt and jerked him away from Kairi. Kairi was about to run towards him again when Selphie grabbed her arm. "Kairi he has to go," Selphie said trying to make her auburn haired friend understand.

Kairi snatched her wrist away and ran back to a struggling Sora. Riku let out a heavy sigh as he pulled Sora down the pathway. Sora held onto Kairi as he started to kiss her again. Kairi whimpered being pull down the pathway with Sora. Sora was being pulled away from her. She tightened her grip on his shirt. Sora's jacket slid off of her shoulders neatly falling on the floor.

Riku stepped out of the plane. Sora stopped kissing Kairi knowing that now they only had a few seconds. Kairi stumbled back falling frontward because of Riku's swift movement. Sora caught her and placed her back on her feet. He grabbed onto her hand and held it tightly.

"Kairi."

"Sora."

"Remember what you said before?" Kairi nodded her grip slowly loosening. "I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you I promise!" Kairi was barely holding onto Sora's hand now. She quickly nodded as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I know you will!"

Sora smiled sadly before he was pulled completely off of the plane. Kairi reached out for him unable to grab his hand any longer. The plane's doors shut keeping Kairi inside the plane. She fell to her knees and started to bang on the doors.

"Sora!" she cried. Selphie cautiously approached her friend and helped her onto her feet. Kairi cried on Selphie's shoulder. Selphie handed Kairi Sora's jacket.

"Keep it with you," Selphie advised before returning to her seat and buckled her seatbelt. Kairi nodded and put the jacket on over her pink dress. She sadly returned to her seat and looked out the window. "Sora," she mumbled before falling asleep.

Kairi dropped her bags in her room. She was finally home. She wiped a few more tears off of her cheeks. She had been crying the entire plane ride, in the airport, and on the way home. She ran over to her bed and fell onto it crying into her pillow. His words were still fresh in her mind.

_I'll come back to you I promise!_

She looked over at her purse through her watery eyes. Something was calling her to it. She walked over to her purse and sat on the floor in front of it. She gingerly opened it and pulled out a white envelope.

"When did this get in here?" she asked herself as she slowly unsealed it. Inside was a small goodbye note from Axel, Wakka, and Tidus. She smiled as she read their goodbyes. But also inside the envelope was the group picture they had taken.

She looked at everyone's smiling faces and started to cry. Her eyes darted to Sora. His arm was around her shoulder and he was grinning. She held the picture tightly and walked back over to her bed so she could look out the window. She moved her curtains to the side and slid the windowpane open.

The moon was shining brightly that night. She smiled and held up her ring to the moon. It was the same thing Sora was doing, except with her charm.

"I'll never forget our promise Sora."

_

* * *

_

_A/N: That's the end. That was so sad. Poor Kairi and Sora. Well next chapter we'll see how it ended for Naminé and Roxas. There's not much I can say I feel speechless. Well anyways leave a review for me okay._


	35. See You Later

_A/N: The second fluffy chapter. Okay but I have a special announcement for the last chapter okay so you all just wait for that. This time I won't listen to sad romantic songs while I'm typing okay? Instead I'll listen to Nickelback, Linkin Park, and Evanescence Stupid songs oh how they influence._

_Roxas: I don't want to be scarred emotionally for the rest of my life -cries-_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three: See You Later

"Come on Roxas," Naminé whined watching the blonde boy purchase candy for the plane ride. "If you don't hurry we might not make it to the plane."

Roxas sighed and finally paid the cashier. He didn't like being charged too much for a piece of candy. But Naminé was right if he stayed there any longer they would miss their flight. Not that he had a problem with that. "I'm coming," Roxas huffed grabbing his bags and running over to Naminé who was impatiently waiting for him.

He couldn't blame her. He had been in that candy store for at least thirty minutes. Roxas couldn't help it if the cashier was an idiot. He didn't like being overcharged for a piece of candy. If he had lived in Hawaii he would have made file customer complaint.

The two blondes made their way down the gray hallway. Naminé was wondering what was so great about an FBI plane. They said it was state of the art but she didn't believe them. After all it was just a plane, wasn't it? Roxas didn't care what kind of plane they were on. He just wanted to spend most of his time with Naminé, after this he would probably never see her again.

They handed the flight attendant their tickets before searching for their seats. "B5 and B6," Naminé stated pointing to the two chairs. "No fair you get the window seat." Roxas smiled and opened the bin above their seats. He stuffed their baggage into the container before slamming it shut. Naminé giggled pushing Roxas into his chair. "Sit down you goofball."

"I'm not a goofball," Roxas retorted playfully. He buckled his seatbelt and watched Naminé do the same. "Hey Naminé what are you going to do when you get home?" he asked staring at the blonde girl.

She shrugged. "I guess I'll go to sleep, maybe I can forget all of this in the morning," Naminé supposed looking at Roxas. "What are you going to do?"

He smiled. "I'm going to miss you," he replied. Naminé blushed and looked away. "Hey it's true, I'll miss everyone else too you know. I can't just sleep the memories away unlike some people that are named Naminé." She frowned and slapped his arm.

"I'm going to miss you too Roxas, its just that I thought you would want to move on with your life. You don't want to stay hopelessly in love with a girl that you will never see again do you?" she inquired.

Roxas shrugged. "It's not like I'll fall in love with anyone else any time soon," Roxas replied. "By soon I mean never. Trust me Naminé I'm certain there's no other girl for me in this world except you. And I won't rest until I'm able to go to Oregon and visit you."

Naminé blushed. "Well then that's my vow too. Let's make an oath. That we won't fall in love or crush on any other person, we'll stay true to each other and one day see each other again."

"Okay I can agree to that. How do we seal the deal?" Roxas asked. He expected Naminé to say a handshake or something common like that. Even a hug would suffice.

"We share a piece of gum," she replied.

"Gum?"

"Yes, is there something wrong?"

"I was expecting a handshake or something like that." Naminé shook her head. She pulled out a piece of gum for her pocket and broke it in half. She gave half to Roxas and kept the other half for herself.

"We will unwrap these pieces when we see each other again," she stated tucking her piece back in her pocket. Roxas nodded and did the same. The plane started to move and was now speeding down the runway preparing for take off. Soon enough it was ascending into the air.

Roxas looked at Naminé who was staring down at her hands. He smiled and held her hand. She looked up at him and put on a small smile. She opened her mouth to speak but the announcer beat her to it.

"Okay welcome to, what did we decide to name it? What! That's a stupid name…fine. Welcome to FBI airlines! That sounds so gay doesn't it kids? Anyway this is Reno speaking, now you all are expecting a boring flight and sitting the entire time. No, that isn't the case! See this is a state of the art plane, you can walk around and explore different rooms, but of course you know you'll have to return to your seats at night. So have fun kiddos and we'll announce anything important!"

"So this is what they meant by state of the art," Naminé thought out loud. "Come on Roxas let's go explore before we have to leave. This'll probably be the only time we're on a state of the art plane!" Roxas nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt only to see Naminé head towards the corridors.

"Hey wait up!" he exclaimed running to catch up with the blonde girl. But it was too late Naminé was already out of view. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Naminé? Naminé? Where'd you go?" He put his arm against a door and let out another sigh. But he was suddenly jerked into the room. He was about to say something but Naminé covered his mouth.

"I want to spend alone time with you, so this'll be our room okay?" Naminé whispered. Roxas nodded his head and Naminé removed her hand from his mouth. She sat on the floor pulling him down with her. "Roxas what do you want to talk about?"

Roxas shrugged. "You have to get off on the third stop don't you?" he asked. Naminé nodded sadly. "I guess the time we will spend together is limited. We should make the best of it Naminé! What do you say we go for a walk?"

"Sure." Roxas stood up and helped Naminé to her feet. "Come on let's go." Roxas opened the door for Naminé who smiled and gleefully walked through. The couple walked down the corridors talking to each other happily. They passed many of their friends of course exchanging 'hellos' before walking away.

Finally they found themselves alone. No one seemed to be coming down the hallway and it was slightly scaring Roxas. He would call it a ghost town, except it was a hallway. He looked over at Naminé who was simply enjoying every minute of their walk. He had to admit she looked radiant when she was beaming with happiness.

He blushed looking away. He heard her giggle. "I see you decided to stop looking at me," she laughed making him want to crawl into a dark hole and hide. Roxas was very embarrassed. "Stop being bashful Roxas."

Roxas chuckled. "Well what do you want me to be?" Roxas asked.

"I express your feelings."

Roxas opened his mouth to say something but the words didn't come out. The plane suddenly shook making them loose their balance. The two tumbled onto the floor ending up in an awkward position. Naminé was on top of Roxas whom somehow had his arms around her back.

Naminé blushed and tried to move, but Roxas held her there. "Uh Rox-." Roxas put his finger over her mouth silencing her. She tilted her head to the right side wondering what Roxas had in mind.

Roxas planted a small kiss on her lips. Naminé blushed doing the same to Roxas. He smiled and let her go. She stood up and dusted off her clothing. Roxas wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind her and rested his head on her shoulder. Naminé smiled and held his arms.

"Naminé I love you," Roxas whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Roxas," she replied in a whispered. Roxas kissed her cheek and closed his eyes. He felt a sensation come over him. Something he had never felt before. It was a great feeling, and for some reason it made him want to float. He would call himself crazy if his senses hadn't left him. Right now, he just wanted to hold Naminé in his arms.

Naminé leaned back a little letting Roxas support her weight. She closed her eyes and began started to think about how wonderful it was. It was wonderful that someone loved her. She knew it was something she would only feel for Roxas. Her heart broke in two whenever she thought about them parting.

Sure she would be able to contact him through e-mail, but it wasn't as good as having him right here with her. Naminé didn't want to sound spoiled. She was very grateful to have someway to contact him, but she worried that something would happen. What if Roxas feel for another girl in Alaska? Would he stop talking to her? She shouldn't be filled with negative thoughts. Yet, she couldn't help herself.

The plane arrived at its first stop. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were the first to leave. It was a sorrow-filled goodbye. Olette and Naminé had been close, but now Olette had to leave. The two girls embraced before Olette left the plane.

Hayner and Wakka swore to each other that they would pull another prank together one day. It was a promise Hayner intended to keep. Especially since it was a prank. How he loved pulling pranks.

The three left the plane and it soon toke off leaving the airport. The second landing was in Utah. Dagger and Vivi would be going this time. Dagger was slightly surprised that she lived in the same state with Vivi; it was even more of a coincidence that they lived in the same town. She supposed she never saw him because of the grade difference.

Now it was only a few hours before it would be Naminé's turn to leave. She sat in her airplane seat staring at the blue floor. She had noticed Roxas hadn't come back from the bathroom and it had been a forty-five minutes. She was beginning to worry about him.

Not because he could be in danger. She was worried because Roxas might be having some emotional problems. Naminé was having them; she would be confused if Roxas wasn't. She got up from her seat and walked down the pathway.

_'I better go find him. He would be disappointed if I left without saying goodbye to him. I wonder if he's still in the bathroom. He shouldn't stay in there too long, there's hardly any oxygen in that little room. No, Roxas has common sense. He must be somewhere else, but where would he go?'_

Naminé walked towards the room she had pulled Roxas into earlier. It was the only place she could think of. Besides it was one of the only rooms Roxas and her had ventured in. She slowly opened the door to see Roxas seated on the floor. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts.

She frowned and closed the door behind her. "Roxas," she mumbled cautiously approaching the blonde boy. He looked up and waved at her. "Why are you in this room all by yourself?"

Roxas shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just needed to be alone for a few minutes, what's up Naminé?" he asked about to stand up.

"No don't get up, you don't need to," Naminé said sitting down next to him. "I want to remember you just like this. I want to remember you as Roxas the boy who is quiet and shy. I'll have to be going soon, in a few hours the plane is going to land in Oregon."

"Oh."

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?"

"Do we have to say goodbye, that sounds so sad. Why can't we just say see you later? That sounds more proper since we'll see each other again," Roxas stated. Naminé smiled and nodded.

"Okay then, I'll see you later."

"Right."

Naminé ran her fingers in his spiky, dirty blonde hair. "I'm going to miss you Roxas, out of all the boys I've ever met I think you're the best. So I want you to remember me, if you forget me I don't know what I'd do."

Roxas nodded. A small discreet tear fell down the side of his face. He didn't like when things got emotional. He was a sucker for romantic movies. His mom had always made him watch chick flicks ever since he was a small kid. Naminé giggled wiping the tear off of his cheek. "I wasn't crying," Roxas lied looking away.

"It's okay to cry Roxas, everyone has to cry at one point," Naminé stated. Tears were welling up in her eyes as well. "The important thing is that you don't live your life crying every single day. That's when you're not supposed to cry anymore. And besides like you said we have no reason to cry since our states are so close together we can visit each other."

He was silent. Naminé was right their states were close together. So there was a possibility that he could see her on holidays, or on small trips. "Hey Naminé, how soon do you think we'll be able to see each other?"

She shrugged. "I don't know Roxas, but when we do see each other it'll be great," she replied looking at the ceiling. Roxas laid down resting his head in her lap. She smiled and gently stroked his hair. "We can go get ice cream at a local ice cream shop and joke around like we used to at the hotel."

"Yeah, and maybe this time the ice cream won't taste like water," Roxas joked. Naminé laughed remembering the time that they went to go get ice cream. She had made a mental note to never get ice cream from that place again. It was melted and tasted like unfiltered water.

They stayed in the room in that position for a couple of hours talking and laughing about the good days at the hotel. Soon enough they had to return to their seats to prepare for landing. Roxas stood up and helped Naminé to her feet. He kissed her sweetly on her lips. "See you later Naminé," he whispered before opening the door.

She nodded and walked into the hallway. The two went back to their seats and buckled up. The plane descended through the clouds revealing Oregon. Roxas stared out the window sadly despising the state but also loving it for being so close. The plane landed and Naminé stood up.

"See you later Roxas," she whispered not looking back at him. She was afraid that if she did she might breakdown. That was something that she did not want to do. She retrieved her things from the bin and slipped something into Roxas's bag.

Everyone told her their goodbyes and Tidus even gave her a copy of their group picture. Selphie and Rikku of course chose to squeeze her to death. She couldn't help but let a small laugh come out of mouth as she gasped for breath.

"Goodbye guys," she said waving before she stepped off of the plane. She saw Kairi, Selphie, and Rikku waving to her before the plane doors closed. She sighed and walked down the hallway staring down at the group picture that Tidus had handed her.

* * *

Roxas sat in his seat watching the state of Oregon grow smaller and smaller. In an hour they would be at Alaska and he could go home. He closed his window not wanting to see the clouds pass anymore. He looked beside him and saw Rikku sitting beside him.

"Rikku!" he exclaimed slightly startled that she had just appeared in Naminé's seat. Rikku giggled and patted Roxas on his head. "What is it?"

"I just thought you could use some cheering up, after all your girlfriend just left. You don't have to be so rude," Rikku teased sticking out her tongue. Roxas rolled his eyes playfully. "So do you want anything I can get you something you-."

"Actually I think I just want to be alone right now."

"Oh, okay well have fun sulking I'm going to go talk to Selphie!" Roxas watched as she gleefully skipped away. Roxas chuckled and closed his eyes. He wanted to go to sleep.

Before he knew it they had landed in Alaska. He could already feel the cold seeping into the plane. He shivered and put on his jacket and grabbed all of his bags. He looked over to where Riku and Yuffie were standing and started to listen to their conversation.

_"Are you sure you're going to get into that college?" Yuffie asked a couple of small tears sliding down her fair skinned cheeks._

_"Of course," Riku assured her even though he wasn't so sure himself. The college he had applied too had a tough curriculum he wasn't so sure his grades and volunteer work would help him get accepted, but he had to assure the crying girl in front of him. "Remember I'm a smart guy, I can do anything."_

_Yuffie laughed and punched him in his arm. "If you don't get in I'll hunt you down and kill you," Yuffie joked._

_"Well if you're going to hunt me down can we spend some quality time together before you kill me?" Riku retorted winking at her. Yuffie rolled her eyes. "What you said you'd hunt me down!"_

_"Whatever Riku, well goodbye Riku. I hope you get into that college." Riku nodded and kissed her before she joined Tifa and headed out of the plane._

Roxas sighed thinking of how his 'goodbye' could have been. He should have said something back to Naminé when she left, but he didn't. He said goodbye to all of his friends and even pried Selphie away from Rikku before leaving the plane and seeing the last image of his friends. Of course the picture Tidus gave him would let him see them everyday, but it wouldn't be the same.

He sighed and walked down the gray hallway. His body had forgotten how cold Alaska was so he felt like he was going to turn into an icicle.

Naminé put her remaining clothing items into her suitcase. She couldn't believe her dad have sped up the move. Why was her only father so obsessed with his work? What happened to loving his job in Oregon? They were always moving because he couldn't just stick with a career.

She sighed and looked back over at the group picture. She sighed and carefully slipped it into her purse. She would hold onto to that.

She shut her suitcase and crawled into her sleeping bag. This would be her last night in her room in this house. She had just returned and now she had to leave again. She stared up at the moon and let out another sigh.

"I miss you Roxas," she whispered before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

Roxas slumped onto his bed holding the picture above his face. He saw how Naminé was smiling while she was standing next to Olette. Roxas had decided to stand by Wakka and Hayner. Instead of smiling he was mocking Sora's signature grin. He was pretty good at it too. Roxas set the picture on his desk and walked over to his bags and started to unpack.

As he unpacked he stumbled upon a piece of paper. "I don't remember putting a piece of paper in my bag," Roxas mumbled to himself as he unfolded it. He saw the words were in Naminé's handwriting. So out of curiosity he started to read it.

_Dear Roxas,_

_By time you read this you should already be home in Alaska. I just wanted to tell you something that I didn't want to say in person. I was afraid of your reaction so I figured telling you on a piece of paper might be better._

_I hope you can forgive me for not telling you sooner, but you see. I won't be living in Oregon anymore. My dad told me before we boarded the plane for home that he got a job offer in Japan. Of course he just had to accept. I was crushed, and well I didn't know how to tell you. It looks like we might not ever see each other again._

_I'm really sorry Roxas please don't hate me. We can still talk to each other; we just won't ever be able to see each other, unless you have a web cam. I got one for my birthday so if you have one too we can use that. Well goodbye Roxas, and remember that I love you._

_Naminé_

Roxas shakily put the paper on his desk. He let out an aggravated shout causing his parents to shout 'shut up' from downstairs. He walked over to his bed and laid down covering his head with his hands. He couldn't believe it. All hope of ever seeing Naminé again had just been shattered.

There was no way his parents would let him travel across the world just to see a girl. He sighed and buried his head under his pillow. Now he regretted not saying a real goodbye to her.

"Goodbye Naminé," he whispered from under his pillow.

_A/N: Okay that was the Roxas x Naminé chapter. Only one more chapter to go before the series ends and of course I do have my special announcement at the end of the last chapter for you all. So it is very important to read the author's note at the end of that chapter. Lol is you don't you'll be missing out on something._

_Anyways I'll try and type up the next chapter soon!_


	36. I'll Miss You

_A/N: This is the last chapter! It's so sad. The finale I guess that's what you could call it. I want to cry, but I'm the one writing it so I can't. Or else I'll get distracted and never get this out! Don't worry folks I'll try to listen to uplifting happy music like that annoying song 'Cartoon Heroes' that is on the new version of DDR -shudders- That song is scary!_

_Selphie: No listen to the happy song! Sing the happy, happy, happy, happy song sing the happy, happy, happy song!_

_Kairi: -silence-_

_Me: All right then on with the chapter…by the way anyone know who got Selphie high because she's loosing it_

_Selphie: Darn rabbit you stole my trix cereal again! How could have the low life disguise fool me!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: I'll Miss You

"Selphie!"

"Tidus!"

"Selphie!"

"Tidus!"

"Selphie!"

"But Tidus it's so cute!" Selphie squealed showing Tidus the cute stuffed panda bear she was holding. To pass the time Tidus had brought Selphie to a small toy store in the airport, but he soon realized that was a mistake. How could he not know Selphie would go crazy in a toy store?

"No! Come on Selph we have to hurry up or we're going to be late for our flight," Tidus argued grabbing Selphie's wrist and dragging her out the store. Selphie put her foot down and grabbed the edge of the door.

She started to whine as Tidus tried to pull her out of the shop. "No I want Mr. Panda!" she cried. Tidus let out a sigh.

"No we are leaving!"

_Two Minutes Later_

"Heres your purchase sir have a nice trip on the Hawaiian airlines," the cashier said handing Tidus the stuffed Panda bear. Tidus gave it to Selphie who squealed in delight and skipped out of the store.

_'Man I'm such a sucker.'_

* * *

The two boarded the plane and got their seats in B12 and B13. Selphie got the window seat of course Tidus had no problem with this when he was by a window he seemed to have sleeping problems. Tidus put up their things and buckled up. Selphie had already buckled her seatbelt and was currently playing with Mr. Panda.

Tidus couldn't help but smile. She looked so happy. It had been a while since he'd seen her smile so much. He liked when she smiled. The plane took off leaving Hawaii once and for all. Soon as they were steady in the air the announcer came on the intercom.

"Okay welcome to, what did we decide to name it? What! That's a stupid name…fine. Welcome to FBI airlines! That sounds so gay doesn't it kids? Anyway this is Reno speaking, now you all are expecting a boring flight and sitting the entire time. No, that isn't the case! See this is a state of the art plane, you can walk around and explore different rooms, but of course you know you'll have to return to your seats at night. So have fun kiddos and we'll announce anything important!"

Selphie looked at Tidus. "Come on Tidus let's go look around," Selphie said unbuckling her seatbelt and setting Mr. Panda on the floor. Tidus shook his head and held her back as everyone left the seating area and filed out to the corridors. "Tidus!"

"Can't we stay here by ourselves?" Tidus asked discreetly getting closer to Selphie. Selphie paused for a moment then nodded.

"We can play speed!" Selphie exclaimed shoving the cards in front of his face before he could kiss her. Tidus blinked and slowly agreed. He had something in else in mind when he suggested the idea, but he loved playing speed.

As the two were playing speed Tidus began thinking about how lonely he would be when he went back to Michigan. Sure Axel and Wakka lived in the same town as he did, but it'd never be the same without Selphie. Regardless of her hyper activeness she was very easy to get along with.

Since Tidus hadn't been paying attention for the last five games Selphie had been on a winning streak. Usually Tidus beat her when they played card games. "Tidus, what's the matter? And don't say nothing because something is up I know it is."

"Well I just thinking about how it'll be without you around," Tidus replied feeling guilty that he had destroyed the happy mood. Selphie patted him on his shoulder; it was obviously an attempt to make him feel better.

She smiled at him. "Tidus, I'll always remember you and then I'll have Mr. Panda to keep me company too!" Selphie exclaimed. "But I guess you'll have nothing to remind you of me, so here." Selphie took her necklace off of her neck and placed it in Tidus's hands.

"But Selph this is your favorite necklace."

"Exactly it's guaranteed to make you think your of your drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend." Tidus chuckled stuffing her necklace into his left front pocket.

"Thanks Selphie." Selphie gave him a thumbs-up placing a small kiss on his cheek.

"Now hurry up I want to beat you again!"

Tidus smirked. "You won't be beating me." Selphie passed out the cards and they played another round of speed. This time Tidus won and regained his spot of the king of speed. The next few games were boring for Selphie since she wasn't winning anymore.

Selphie put down her cards and yawned. "Tidus can we do something else I'm bored," Selphie whined faking a yawn for emphasis. Tidus yawned and collected all of the cards and put them back in their place.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked staring at the brunette girl. She shrugged and slouched in her seat. "Well do you want to know what I have in mind?" She nodded her head oblivious to the fact that he wanted to kiss her. "Okay close your eyes." She did as she was told expecting a surprise.

"I'm so excited," she whispered so that Tidus could hear. Tidus leaned in and kissed her on her lips. Selphie's eyes flew open. She hadn't been expecting a kiss. She frowned and gently pushed him away. "Aww I thought you were actually going to give me something worthwhile."

Tidus frowned. "Hey that'll probably be one of the last kisses we share and you're calling it unworthy!" Tidus exclaimed pretending to be angry with her. Selphie giggled and shook her head.

"No it's just something I wasn't expecting but you can continue." Tidus blushed and nodded. He kissed her again this time staying longer then he had before. Selphie returned his kiss turning a little red as she always had.

He pulled away all too soon for Selphie. She pouted and pulled him back planting a small kiss on his lips. Tidus raised an eyebrow wondering why she had did what she did and why she was holding his shirt collar. "I just wanted another kiss," Selphie giggled setting him free.

The plane made its first stop Nevada. It was time to say goodbye to the threesome of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Selphie embraced Olette followed by Kairi and lastly Naminé. Selphie knew Naminé and Olette had been very close so it was very sad to see them part. Tidus handed each of the three a small white envelope before they left the plane.

The second landing was in Utah. Tidus gave both Dagger and Vivi an envelope before they left plane. Vivi had been hugged several times and was almost suffocated by Selphie and Kairi. Vivi finally got his revenge as well. He kicked Sora in his shin before leaving shouting something about locking him in the closet. Dagger and Yuffie of course had their tear-filled goodbye before she left the plane.

The third landing it was Naminé's turn to leave. Selphie couldn't help but wonder why Roxas hadn't been at her goodbye ceremony. She shrugged it off and squeezed the poor blonde girl before she left. Soon it would be time for their landing in Alaska.

Selphie grabbed Rikku in the hallway. "Rikku I'm going to miss you!" Selphie cried. The two girls embraced jumping around as they hugged like the hyperactive girls that they were. "Promise me you'll e-mail me everyday?"

"As long as you e-mail me everyday!" Rikku exclaimed realizing Selphie from the hug. The two girls nodded in agreement. "It's like losing my second sister."

"Well you not losing me I'm just going far away," Selphie replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Rikku nodded and hugged Selphie again before wondering off to find Paine. A small tear escaped her emerald eyes.

"Selphie it's all right." Tidus who had secretly watched from far away pulled her into a loving embrace. "I'm sure you'll see Rikku again, maybe in college. You both aspire the same career."

"I know she's like my second sister. She understands me almost as much as Kairi does and I'll miss her," Selphie replied returning his embrace and continued whining as she had since Naminé had left.

The plane landed in Alaska. Rikku and Selphie attached threatening not to let go. Roxas and Riku pried the two away from each other. Rikku's sobbing could be heard from off of the plane. Selphie went back to her seat trying to silence her cries. She knew she would have to go through that in a couple of hours, except with Tidus.

Tidus sat back down next her. "You should get some sleep Selphie all of this is probably making you exhausted." Selphie shook her head.

"I want to be there with you when you leave," Selphie replied resting her head on his shoulder. Tidus smiled and gently ran his fingers through her hair. She smiled. "I could never forgive myself if I didn't get to say goodbye."

He let out a sigh. "I'll wake you up when I'm ready to leave," Tidus stated. "Will you go to sleep now? I know your tired I can see it in your eyes."

Selphie smiled. Tidus was always able to tell how she was feeling. He had that special talent just like Kairi. "Okay, but promise me one thing."

"What do you want me to promise?"

"That one day I'll get to see you again," Selphie said closing her eyes. She started to fall asleep. "And you'll ask me…to marry you." She let out a small yawn before falling completely asleep.

"I promise."

Tidus fell asleep for the remainder of his plane ride. He started to dream of something. He was in a strange town in a park sitting on a white bench at night. In front of him was a fountain. A brunette woman sat down next to him. He couldn't see her face all he could see is that her lips were moving.

She seemed happy and there was a smile on her face. She grabbed his hand and he gave her something shiny. Tidus didn't know what it was, but it twinkled in the moonlight. The last thing he heard was himself laugh and then something knocked him on the ground.

Tidus's eyes flew open and he saw Wakka standing in front of him. "I woke him up Axel," Wakka said walking away to go gather his bags. Tidus looked outside and noticed the plane had landed in Michigan. He sighed and opened the bin to gather his things.

He pulled his bags down and set them on the ground. He quickly placed an envelope in Selphie's lap. "Bye Selph," he whispered kissing her cheek and touching it with the back of his hand before grabbing his bags and heading down the pathway.

Selphie moaned opening her emerald eyes. "Tidus are we in Michigan yet?" she asked halfway asleep. She heard no answer. Her eyes shot open and she realized he wasn't there. She looked down in her lap and saw a white envelope. "Tidus!" she exclaimed running down the pathway.

He was about to step off the plane when she grabbed him and pulled him back inside. "You're awake?" he asked slightly surprised. Selphie frowned at him and put her hands on her hips.

"You weren't going to wake me up were you?" she asked although it was already obvious. Tidus slowly nodded. "Oh well now is not the time to hold a grudge, so I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yeah," Tidus mumbled looking away from her eyes. He knew they were already welled up with tears; it would make it less bearable to part if he saw her cry. He closed his eyes and faced her. "Goodbye Selph."

Selphie choked unable to hold back her tears. She pulled him into a tight hug, but not bone-crushing. "I'll miss you!" she choked out tears getting all over his dry clothing. Tidus smiled sadly returning her hug.

"I'll miss you too Selphie," he replied. "Just promise me you won't cry so much, I wouldn't make me happy to know you were crying over me. I want you to be happy okay?" Selphie nodded and wiped her tears trying to make them stop.

"I'll be lonely without you," she replied. "I know Kairi will be there for me but you have a part of my heart that will only be filled by your presence. Please promise me you won't forget me okay?"

Tidus nodded. "I love you Selphie."

"I love you too."

They shared one last kiss before Selphie pulled away allowing Tidus leave the plane. He waved goodbye from afar. Selphie waved a little before the doors closed. She sighed and walked back to her seat. She sat down and broke into tears. She knew Tidus told her not to cry but she couldn't help but feel the urge to. The sensation was overwhelming her. A sensation of loneliness.

* * *

Selphie was soon home. She still refused to open the envelope; she already knew what was inside. She didn't feel ready to look at their group picture. Selphie set her bags neatly in the corner of her room. She was shocked that she was actually trying to keep things tidy.

Usually her room was a mess, but today she felt like it need to be cleaned. Slowly she stepped into the center of her messy room and picked up a shirt. She remembered she had been trying to find the perfect outfit to impress a boy named Irvine at school, but right he seemed like nothing.

She slowly started to pick up the other scattered clothing on her floor. With everything she picked up she began to remember her old life, the life without Tidus and the others. Selphie wanted to scream, but she knew better. Her mom would only run in and demand answers then she'd be forced to tell the entire story.

It was better to keep it to herself. She slowly dropped her clothing in her hamper. She made a mental to wash them tomorrow. Selphie walked over to bed and fell onto it facedown. Her arms were spread out to either side of it.

"I miss you," she mumbled into the pillow.

* * *

Tidus sat on his roof staring out into the endless night sky. He felt emptiness inside of him as he stared at the stars. He wasn't hungry he was missing something.

_I miss you_

He could have sworn he heard Selphie's voice in his head. He smiled and said, "I miss you too."

_A/N: And there you have it the last chapter of this wonderful fan-fiction 'Things are not always what they seem'. Boy I'll miss this one. After all it was like the first fan-fiction I have ever written. (On this site anyway) Well I have so many people to thank so let's get started._

**_Kairi159, damaster123, dbzgtfan2004, Riku'sgirl9295, animeandmangalover2.0, laredo tornado, CherryDolls, Sora's Final Valor Form, Mysteries Boy Wonder Robin, (Hi Jam lol), imjackie, Khkid1312020, ImmortalBlueFlame, AznSnostuff, EraTomo, Silver Miracles, Guan Ping is Cool, animerincheetah, ScReAmofaBrOkEnAnGeL, koiree, hanyou-samurai, the cheat 921, Kaiora93, H4ckerSephiroth, x3.LJ, Khprincess31, imp4ever, Absie1212, KawaiiNekoLover, sweetshinystar89, Kazzamy, GTA Guy, and A-Z-a-z-0-9SharpayCat_**

_Okay now that I've thanked every single person that ever reviewed! Boy that was a lot, I'm sorry for the order guys. I didn't put favorites I just put the order of the chapter reviews._

_Now the moment you've all been waiting for (or at least I hope so) **The Special Announcement! **_

**_There will be a sequel! _**

_It'll be called 'Is This Just Another Lie?' and will probably be out tomorrow if I can get my fingers in a typing mood. I'm also trying to finish the one-shot song fic I started. Well anyway thanks for sticking with me through this confusing plot! I love you all eternally even if you didn't review! Thank you so much for reading it and I hope that you all will turn in for the sequel._

_You will if you want to see a happy ending… -evil laugh-_


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